Family Connections
by JMS529
Summary: Marshall goes into hiding in order to keep his niece safe after wittnessing her parents attack. Marshall struggles to play father and protecter while Mary and Stan try and put together what is really going on. Spoliers thru S4.
1. Chapter 1

Thanks to Mary for betaing this for me. I appreciate it.

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters never have never will.

**Family Connections**

Marshall groaned as he lowered himself onto his sofa. It had been a long week, and it was only Wednesday. He had gotten into yet another shouting match with Mary at the office. They hadn't been able to get their footing back since her trip to Mexico and his former relationship with Abby. Stan was getting frustrated with both of them and he wasn't the only one. He had to admit that he was getting fed up with the situation himself, but for once he wasn't going to give in to Mary. She needed to be the one to make the first move. It wasn't going to be him this time. Grabbing for the beer on the table he brought it to his lips, when his phone starting ringing.

"Please, no more today, Mare," Marshall said, to the empty room. Rolling his eyes he picked up the phone surprised to see the name on it. "Dad?"

"Marshall, I need you to listen to me and do exactly what I tell you," Seth replied, urgently. "Your brother and his wife were attacked tonight. Drae witnessed the attack from her closet, and she got a real good look at the attackers. We're not sure if the two perps saw her or not. I need you to meet me in Phoenix and keep her moving around until we can find out what's going on and the suspects. Gavin and Carina are guarded at the hospital, and will be relocated shortly. Kyler and Jamie are taking your mother and going into hiding for now. I'll be joining them as soon as I pass Drae off to you. Gavin said they threatened all of us and he thinks they are part of the mob that his team was trying to take down. No one is safe that is close to us right now. I need you to quit work tomorrow and meet me in Phoenix. I'll have a badge and gun for you. My boss knows the situation, and has agreed to make sure your position in Albuquerque is still secure when this is over. I know you'd rather tell Mary and Stan, but you need to keep them out of the loop for now. You might need their help later, but it's better for now if you don't include them."

"Are Gavin and Carina okay?" Marshall asked, concerned.

"Carina's pretty shaken up over the whole thing. Cuts and bruises mostly. Gavin has some bruised ribs and a concussion. They were interrupted by a neighbor knocking on the door and escaped out the back. I'll see you tomorrow night. I'll bring some burn phones for you to use in case you need to contact me."

"I'll meet you there," Marshall replied.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall parked his truck and leaned his head back against the headrest. He had purposefully come in late without a phone call and a reason. He had ignored the phone calls from both Stan and Mary. Mary would be giving him and earful which he knew that he could escalate into a shouting match. From there it would be the domino effect. Stan would try to soothe things over, but would ultimately take Mary's side. She was barely speaking to him anyways and usually when she did it was less than civil. Not looking forward to what he was about to do, but knowing it played in well with what needed to be done, Marshall stepped out of the truck and headed into the office. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

"Where the hell is he Stan?" Mary asked, worried. "You know Marshall's always on time. If he's going to be late he calls. He's not answering his cell or home phone."

"I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation as to where he is. Nice to see you showing concern for your partner for a change," Stan said. He had been worried about Mary and Marshall lately. All they ever seemed to do anymore is fight.

"I sure as hell don't need to be pulling his weight along with mine," Mary snapped.

"Does that mean you'll actually be doing your own paperwork? It sure would be a nice change. Oh wait, hell hasn't frozen over so that would be me doing your job. You'd be lucky to remember how to fill out half of the forms anyways," Marshall said, walking towards his desk.

"You're late," Stan said, hoping to stop the situation from escalating into another shouting match between the two partners.

"Yeah," Marshall shrugged, and booted up his computer.

"We called and you never bothered to pick up your phone diptwit. You forget how to use it?" Mary asked, irritated by Marshall's casual attitude.

"Oddly enough, I'm very adept at calling people and answering phones. I was assuming you were calling to nag or have me bring you coffee and breakfast because you're too cheap to do it yourself," Marshall said, before looking back at his computer.

"What the _hell _is your problem?" Mary asked.

"Maybe I'm just tired of you," Marshall snapped.

"That's enough!" Stan yelled, trying to figure out what was wrong with Marshall.

"Of course it is. Heaven forbid someone put Mary in her place, because you sure as hell aren't going to," Marshall said, glaring at Stan while trying to ignore the ever growing pit in his stomach. This was necessary and he had to continue in order to bide himself enough time to leave before they figured out something was wrong.

"Marshall, I don't know what your problem is today, but it needs to stop now. Better yet, why don't you go home and stay there until you can behave professionally," Stan replied, trying not to lose his temper. He wasn't used to Marshall being the insubordinate one.

'You know what Stan, I'm sick of this crap. Mary can behave as unprofessional as she wants to and you do nothing but wait for me to calm Hurricane Mary down. Why doesn't she have to go home until she can behave in a professional manner? Is it because you know she'll never be allowed back?" Marshall asked.

"Go home, Marshall. We'll see you tomorrow," Stan said, barely containing his anger.

Marshall stood up, pulled his gun out of his holster and took out his badge. Walking over to Stan he shoved them both at him.

"No, you won't. I quit," Marshall replied, heading towards the elevator while leaving a very stunned Stan and Mary in his wake.

Marshall called his Dad as he hurried to his truck.

"It's done. I'm on my way. Did you get the tracking device for my truck and phone disabled?"

"Yes, your phone has been deactivated and your house phone is turned off. I also have a different truck for you. You can give me your cell and truck and I'll have them stored until this is over," Seth replied. "For what it's worth I'm sorry you had to do that to your friends." Seth knew his son was hurting by the tone in his voice.

"How's Dracen?" Marshall asked, not wanting to talk about what happened at the office.

"She's a Mann, she's tough. Gavin and I explained to her that she's being moved away from them as an extra precaution. I explained to her while we have guards to protect without knowing who the leak was it would be easy to snatch her up if she stayed at the hospital with her parents until they could be moved," Seth replied.

"She's a teenager who witnessed her parents being attacked, Dad. She's tough all right, but she's still a kid," Marshall said.

"Drae is strong and doing as well as can be expected. You can talk to her when you get here," Seth said, supplying Marshall with the address.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary and Stan hadn't moved since Marshall announced he quit. They were both staring at the elevator too stunned. Mary finally jerked into action and refusing to wait for the elevator, ran down the stairs. Running into the parking lot she looked for Marshall's truck. Grabbing her cell she hit speed dial one.

"The number you dialed is no longer in service," the recorded voice came through the phone.

"What the hell?" Mary asked out loud. She quickly headed back to the office.

"Did you find him?" Stan asked.

"His truck is already gone. Dial his cell phone," Mary said, and watched as Stan's face scrunched in confusion.

"How can it be no longer in service? Stan asked.

"Something is going on here," Mary said.

"Yeah, but what?" Stan asked, heading into his office.

"What are you doing?" Mary said.

"I'm calling his parents to see if something happened that is causing Marshall to act out. That was not our Marshall," Stan replied waiting for someone to pick up at Marshall's parents. Not getting a reply he left a message. "Seth, this is Stan McQueen. Could you please give me a call? I'm worried about Marshall and was hoping that you or your wife might know if something upset him recently. He's unusually moody and quit the Marshal Service today. Mary and I are really worried. Please call us back as soon as possible."

"I'm going to drive over to Marshall's house," Mary said, heading towards the elevator.

"Mary, don't push him too hard. I don't think he's going to put up with much. Let me know what you find out," Stan said.

"I'll call,"

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Marshall pulled into the hotel in Phoenix. He knocked on the door and stepped into the room after Seth opened the door. His niece Dracen, or as they call her Drae; was asleep on one of the beds. Marshall moved over towards Drae and gently pulled the blanket up a little tighter around her.

"So what's the rest of the plan?" Marshall asked, softly not wanting to wake his niece

"You do what you do best: take Drae and hide in plain sight. Your new identifications are Emma and Joseph Martin. She's your only child and her mother died in an automobile accident when she was four. You'll drive to Denver in the rental truck that's sitting outside while I ditch your truck. From Denver you'll take the Amtrak into Sacramento; where there will be a car waiting for you to use. You will start work on Monday as a computer tech for the city. Emma Martin is officially enrolled in Grant Union High School. Here's the address of the place you'll be staying and the rest of the details including where the car is. Don't contact me unless it's an emergency. I'll call you as soon as something changes or if I have any news. Your boss and partner are already trying to find you. They called the house shortly after you left the office," Seth cautioned.

"You seem surprised by this," Marshall replied.

"I didn't think it would be easy to keep them from looking for you, but I figured they'd give you a day or two to cool off," Seth said.

"Mary's not known for her patience. We'll stay hidden. They won't give up, but I'll keep my tracks covered.".

"Stay safe. These people will stop at nothing to hurt either of you," Seth warned.

"We'll be fine." Marshall reassured his Dad before giving him the keys to his truck. He watched his Dad leave before turning his attention to his sleeping niece. /\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary went back to Marshall's house after work. Using her key she entered the house for the second time that day. The last time she was just looking for her partner, this time she was looking for answers.

"Marshall?" she called out to no avail. Walking through the house she made her way towards his bedroom. Opening the closet door, she saw that a portion of his clothes were missing and so were two of his suitcases. She picked up his home phone and looked through the call list. Not seeing anything there she checked the garage for his truck. It was also gone, she called Stan.

"McQueen."

Mary could hear the exhaustion in Stan's voice. Mary informed him of what she found. "Do me a favor and track his cell phone. Get a list of incoming and outgoing calls before it was disconnected.

"What are you thinking?" Stan asked.

"I'm thinking he's protecting someone on his own and going off the grid to keep us out of it. I know we haven't been getting along and I'll even admit a huge part of that is my fault, but he escalated the fight instead of trying to be rational about it. He's doing everything we normally do to hide a witness," Mary replied.

"I'll run the phone and truck. By tomorrow morning it should be here," Stan said.

"Thanks," Mary replied looking around the empty house. "What are you up to Marshall?".

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Uncle Marshall, where are we going?" Drae asked, shortly after they left the hotel.

"I'll let you know when we get there. You need to remember to call me Dad. I know it's odd, but it's for your own protection," Marshall replied.

"Why did Grandpa pick Emma for me?" Drae asked, knowing there was a reason for it.

"Grandma wanted a little girl. She was going to name her Emma if she ever had one. Instead she got three boys and no Emma. I think it was his way of making up to Mom for not giving her a daughter," Marshall replied.

"Why are you Joseph?"

"Grandpa's idea of a practical joke," Marshall muttered, softly.

Drae noticed the tension enter her uncle's posture at her question and decided to drop it. Somehow she had a feeling her Grandpa got a dig in on her Uncle. She never understood what Grandpa Seth's problem was with Uncle Marshall. The two struggled to find any common ground. They had been that way for as long as she could remember. She'd have to ask Uncle Marshall when she got a chance.

"Do I get home schooled? You would be a great teacher," Drae said, hopeful.

"I have to work in order to pay the bills. You are enrolled in one of the best high schools in the city. I thought Grandpa went over this with you," Marshall replied.

"He did, but you're better at talking to us then Grandpa is, and I don't want to start over at a new high school. I won't have any friends," Drae said, honestly.

"Making friends has never been a problem for you. I promise by the end of the first week, you'll have a friend." It was the one thing Marshall was sure of. Drae had a personality that drew people to her.

"I'm glad Grandpa turned me over to you. At least you're fun," Drae mumbled. Grandpa Seth didn't let her do much of anything at all the last few days except watch TV in a hotel room.

"Well you're not going to be thrilled with me either. For your safety, there are going to be a lot of rules that you need to follow. I need you to do what I tell you to, when I tell you to do it and not question me on it," Marshall warned.

"I'm not going to able to go anywhere, am I?" Drae asked. She knew it shouldn't be a top concern, but she was a teenager and wanted to be able to do some fun things instead of constantly worrying about the people after her or how her parents were.

"You're not in prison Drae, but I need to know where you are at all times and if anything looks suspicious you need to call me. We have to be able to move on short notice," Marshall said.

"Okay." Drae could tell her uncle meant and knowing her uncle; there was a reason for it.


	2. Chapter 2

Mary hurried into the office the next morning to see Stan going over reports.

"Do you have anything?" Mary asked.

"We can't trace Marshall's truck. The tracking device isn't working or was turned off. I'm going through Marshall's phone records. Most are to witnesses or one of us. He did talk to his Dad last night. There's nothing out of the ordinary," Stan replied.

"Marshall and Seth only talk on Sundays," Mary said.

"Seth called Marshall last night. It's an incoming call from Seth's cell phone," Stan replied.

Mary grabbed her cell and called Seth's number. After it rang once she put it on speaker so Stan could hear.

"The number you are trying to reach is no longer in service," the recorded voice said.

"What the hell is going on?" Mary asked.

Stan grabbed the nearest desk phone and dialed Seth's home phone. The same recorded message played.

"I'll try getting a hold of his brothers and see if they know something," he replied. "It's the same message. I'll try Seth's boss."

Mary tried to think of someone else to call. Something was seriously wrong with Marshall's family if they were all out of reach. She knew things had been strained between them, but surely he would know he could come to them with any problems. She looked up when she heard Stan walk out of his office.

"Well?" she asked anxiously.

"No one's talking. I called Eleanor to see if she could do some digging around," Stan replied, knowing there wasn't much they could do.

"Stan, he knows how to hide. How are we going to find him?" Mary asked, frustrated

Stan knew Mary's frustration was stemming from her concern for her partner so he patiently replied with the unfortunate truth. "We're not. The only way we will is if Marshall wants to be found. In the meantime we have to go on with business as usual. We can continue to look, but that's all we can do."

Mary wanted to argue, but she knew Stan was right. Marshall was damn good at his job and could stay off the radar if necessary. She hoped that it was just a matter of something quick that needed to be resolved before Marshall would make contact with them. With that thought she began to stifle through some paperwork before heading out to check on herwitnesses.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall lay in bed staring at the ceiling. It had been three months since they'd moved to Sacramento. Three months of trying to be a father instead of a doting uncle and it was taking its toll on both him and Dracen. They were arguing more as Drae tried to undermine his authority. Her rebelliousness was especially bad this last month. Currently, Drae had locked herself in her bedroom after telling him she hated him. He was strict with what she was and wasn't able to do and it was cramping the life style of her teenage years, but he had to make sure she was safe. It was like the entire lecture she had been given in the beginning went over her head. She felt secure in Sacramento after the three months passed without incident. Drae had settled in, made a new best friend and seemed to have forgotten all about the possible threat that was out there. He tried to reiterate the point, but she refused to listen.

His thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. He knew it was for Drae when he heard the whispered conversations followed fifteen minutes later by a knock on his door.

"Dad, can you give Sandy and me a ride to the train station to pick her sister up?" Drae asked.

"What day and time?" Marshall asked, to make sure it fit in with his work schedule.

"Saturday at ten a.m." Drae said.

"Fine," Marshall replied, happy to see the small smile light up Dracen's face.

'Thanks, you're the best," Drae said, kissing his cheek before happily heading for her room.

Marshall was relieved that at least for now Drae was no longer angry with him. He didn't think he'd get used to his niece's mood swings. He rationalized that part of it was her coping mechanism for everything that has happened and all the upheaval in her life currently.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Mary," Stan called out.

"What?" she asked, entering Stan's office.

"You and Calvin are flying on out leer jet to Sacramento to pick up you latest witness," Stan said.

Mary cast a glance out at her latest partner. He was the sixth one in three months.

"Stan, he's rather green," she replied, nodding her head towards Calvin.

"He's your partner, now go deal with it. You need to put in some effort here, Mary. I'm running out of people to partner you up with," Stan said frustrated.

"I have a partner and if we spent more time tracking him down, I'd be able to go about my job in an appropriate manner," Mary replied, silently cursing the fact that she just slipped out a Marshall-like phrase.

"Just get your temporary partner and head to Sacramento. Your witness arrives on the 10am train on Saturday," Stan said, before retreating back to his office. He began to start requesting for files of possible WITSEC Inspectors. Sooner or later Mary was going to have to settle for one of them. The problem was unless it was Marshall she wouldn't like them. With that thought Stan grabbed his phone.

"Hi Eleanor, have you heard anything on Marshall or any of the Manns?"

"No, it's as if they disappeared off the face of the earth with no one the wiser. Did you try running them through WITSEC?" Eleanor asked. It was strange that no rumors were flying around.

"Yeah, they don't show up in the system at all, but I was red flagged for checking into them. I have a feeling they're in their own version of WITSEC and we won't hear from them until whatever is going on is over with," Stan said, tiredly.

"Marshall is good at what he does, Stan. He'll be fine," she replied, trying to reassure them both.

"We don't know that. Whatever has them on the run is big enough to make an entire family of Marshals disappear. I don't like this at all."

"How's Mary doing with it?" she asked.

"Going through partners faster than a baby does diapers. She's not going to accept anyone, but Marshall."

"I'll keep hitting up my connections," Eleanor replied.

"Thank you," Stan said, before hanging up.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall, Drae and Sandy arrived at the Sacramento train station to pick up Sandy's sister Rizzo; apparently their mom had been a huge Grease fan. Mary would have had a field day with this one.

"Do you want me to stay in the car Emma or is it safe for me to come in without embarrassing you?" Marshall asked, Dracen.

"You can come with Dad," Drae replied. It was getting easier to remember to call her Uncle, Dad. She had slipped up a couple of times, but luckily only when they were alone in their apartment.

"Thanks for the honor," Marshall teased.

Marshall and the girls were making their way through the crowd when he spotted her. The blond hair and defensive stance could only be one person. He'd seen it too many times not to know.

"Emma," Marshall said, urgently.

Drae recognized the tone of her uncle's voice for what it stood for. He only spoke with the demanding tone if something was off.

"Sandy, can you wait for me a minute?" Drae asked her friend, before turning her attention back to her uncle. "What's wrong?"

"I can't stay in here. There's someone who will definitely recognize me. I'm going to the gift shop and then head back out to the car. You girls come straight to the car and don't screw around in here. Okay?" he asked.

"Who's here?" Drae asked worried.

"My partner, and if she gets her hands on me I'll never hear the end of it. Plus, she'd cause a scene like you've never witnessed before," Marshall replied.

"_The _partner?" Drae asked, excitedly.

"Yes and not another word."

"Which one is she?" Drae asked.

Marshall described Mary and her general location. "Now go get Rizzo and we can get out of here."

"We'll meet you at the car. What do I say if Sandy asks why you decided to go out to the car?" Drae asked knowing their stories had to match.

"Tell her I received a call from work and went out to the car to take it," Marshall replied as he watched his niece make her way to her friend.

Drae turned around to see her uncle slipping through the door. Curiosity getting the better of her she pulled Sandy so they walked closer to the infamous blonde. Drae had always heard stories, but this was the first chance she had of getting near this Mary that her Uncle talked about all the time. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary had been waiting impatiently for Jerry to arrive when she noticed the two young girls heading outside to the arrival area. The one's smile reminded her of Marshall. She knew it was absurd, but she turned and checked the area. A lingering feeling of familiarity caused her to look around and caught a glimpse of a tall man exiting out the doors of the train station. She was about to go investigate, but was interrupted by the announcement of her witness' train arriving.

The girls she had seen pass by before came back in with another girl. They were laughing and chatting but Mary could've sworn the brunette was looking at her. When the one girl grinned Mary instantly recognized it. It was a grin she'd seen for the past eight years. Mary wanted to send Calvin out to pick up her witness so she could trail the girl, but she didn't trust the rookie. Mary pulled out her cell just as the brunette girl turned around taking one last glance. Mary used her cell phone to snap a photo before heading out to pick up Jerry.

After they put Jerry in the car, Mary hit speed dial two on her cell phone.

"McQueen."

"Stan, it's Mary. Do me a favor, I'm sending you a photo that I nee you to run through the system and see what you come up with."

"Is there a situation already?" Stan asked, concerned.

"No. I'm sending you a photo. You'll understand when you see it," Mary replied, hoping she was right. "I'm sending it now. Let me know what you find out, as soon as you find out. Bye, Stan."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan looked at the phone and thought the message was kind of cryptic even for Mary. The photo came through and his initial quick glimpse had him wondering why Mary was sending him a photo of a teenager. Shrugging he was about to run the photo when the teen's smile caught his attention. He'd seen the older version of that for over eight years. Grabbing his phone he called Eleanor.

"Eleanor, can you do me a favor without setting off alarms?" Stan asked, before she could even say hi.

"Nice to speak with you too, Stan. Of course, I can. What am I checking for?" Eleanor asked, curiously.

"I'm sending you a photo and need to know who the girl is in the photo. If it's who I think it is, I need to know if our long lost friend has family in Sacramento," Stan replied.

"Got it," Eleanor replied. "I'll find out what I can. Do our missing friend's brothers live out here?"

"No. One lives on the east coast and the other in the southern part of the states," Stan said.

"I'll get back to you," Eleanor replied, before hanging up and beginning her search.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Drae noticed how much her uncle was looking around as they left the train station. He was really worried about getting caught. Once they were onto the main road, she decided to do introductions.

"Rizzo, this is my father Joseph Martin. Dad, this is Rizzo. She Sandy's older sister. She goes to college at UCLA," Drae said.

"Nice to meet you, Rizzo," Marshall replied, finally able to relax when he noticed that no one was following them. "What are you studying?"

"Marine biology," Rizzo replied, before the girls started talking.

He pulled up in front of Sandy's house and the two sisters got out.

"Thanks for picking me up Mr. Martin. I appreciate the ride. We'll see you tomorrow, Emma," Rizzo said.

"You're welcome," Marshall replied, and once the girls went into their house he looked at Dracen. "What's going on tomorrow?"

"They wanted to go to the mall," Drae said.

"Fine, just make sure you have your cell with you," Marshall replied.

"So the blonde was your infamous partner, Mary. She's pretty."

"Dracen, what did you do?"

"Nothing, we walked by her on the way out to meet Rizzo."

"She didn't get suspicious or act strangely?"

"Not that I noticed. Why are you so worried? She's never even met me before."

"You have the Mann grin. Trust me if you displayed it in front of Mary she'll be moving heaven and earth to see if we have relatives here. If that happens, we're going to have to relocate and change names."

"I'm just getting settled in. We can't move again Uncle Marshall."

"We won't have a choice if Mary starts looking. I can't and won't risk your life or Mary's. This isn't a game Drae. There are people that want you dead and will stop at nothing to make sure it happens. They'll kill anyone that gets in their way. Including your new friends, my friends and anyone they associate with us."

"You don't think Mary will let this go."

"Not if she suspects something. She's a little protective with what she feels is hers."

"You're considered her property?"

"I was her partner. We have each others backs. It's what we do."


	3. Chapter 3

Mary walked straight into Stan's office as soon as Calvin and she dropped Jerry off at his apartment and got him situated.

"Well?"

"Welcome back, inspector. Jerry okay with his apartment?" Stan asked, delaying Mary's question. A part of him still trying to put his thoughts on the information Eleanor gave him together.

"Cut the crap, Stan. What do you have on the girl? You and I both know she's a Mann," Mary said, impatiently.

"She's Dracen "Drae" Mann, daughter to Gavin and Carina Mann. Marshall's oldest brother. She's registered at Grant Union High School in Sacramento as Emma Martin. Her records indicate that she is the only child of Joseph Martin, who lost his wife in a car accident. Mr. Martin works as a computer expert for the Sacramento government." Stan passed the picture of Mr. Martin's employee id.

"Marshall," Mary whispered as she stared at the photo. "Stan…"

"We can't go for two weeks, because of the Williams case. I've already arranged to have a jet available to take us to Sacramento as soon as the trial is over. Whatever Marshall is up to he's going to have to accept our help. I don't like him out there without backup anymore than you do," Stan replied.

Mary didn't want to wait, but knew Stan was right about not being able to leave until the trial was over. She had been so close to her partner. She hated that she chose to not follow the girl outside the train station.

"I should've followed her. I bet Marshall was there," Mary muttered, returning to her desk.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall had been on edge all week. He half expected Mary and Stan to show up at his front door demanding answers. Despite that, he told Drae that she could spend the weekend at Sandy's house. She was leaving shortly and he was nervous about letting her go.

"Make sure you have your cell phone on and charged at all times. I need to be able to pick you up at a moment's notice," Marshall cautioned.

"It's been over a week. Would you just try and relax? You promised that I could have fun this weekend," Drae reminded.

"Provided nothing goes wrong and I know where you're at. If you go somewhere I need to be advised where," Marshall reminded, just as a car honked outside.

"That's Sandy, I have to go. I'll be fine," Drae said before giving her uncle a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She adored him, but he was becoming more overbearing then her own Dad. "I'll see you Sunday."

Drae hopped into Sandy's car.

"So he bought that you were staying at my place?" Sandy asked.

"Yes, he did. Now let's get to UCLA. Rizzo's plans for this weekend sound like a blast," Drae replied.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"The girl is heading to UCLA. We should be able to pick her up easily at the sister's home. I just need the sister's address. They didn't mention it on the phone last night. You might want to reward your mole in the D.O.J. The information we got from the Marshal office in Albuquerque was right on," the man said to his boss.

"I think we'll keep our friend at the D.O.J. around for awhile. Get the girl and if anyone gets in the way remove them. I don't care if it's her friends or her Uncle. The Uncle will be your biggest concern," the boss warned.

"He doesn't know that she's going to UCLA according to the information we got off the phone tap at her friend's house," the man replied.

"Report back when you have her," the boss said, before hanging up.

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Marshall was sitting at home watching the history channel when his burn phone rang an hour later.

"Hello."

"Marshall, you need to relocate. Your friends somehow managed to figure out that you're in Sacramento. We found a leak in the D.O.J. and they were tapping the phones at the Sunshine Building, cell phones and home phones. They also found out what school Drae was at and who her friends are. More than likely a trace was put on their phone also. Call me when you've relocated. Dump this phone after that. Use one of the others," Seth ordered.

"I'll use the second set," Marshall said, knowing his Dad would know who they were pretending to be.

"Be careful," Seth replied.

Marshall headed to the closet after hanging up and grabbed the two bags he had packed for him and Drae. As he was heading towards the car he realized he would need to get another one after they left Sacramento. He knew Drae would be upset about the change and he was going to be dealing with attitude from her on the drive to their new location. He had the feeling he was about to get the your ruining my life speech he'd heard Gavin complain about so often.

Pulling up in front of Sandy's house he quickly inspected the area before getting out and heading for the front door. Ringing the bell he patiently waited. His eyes were continually scanning the area for anything out of place.

"May I help you?" a woman asked, after she opened the door.

"Hi, I'm Joseph Martin. I'm looking for my daughter Emma. There's been a family emergency and I need her to come home with me," Marshall replied.

"Nice to meet you, Joseph. I'm Audrey Welsh. The girls left for Rizzo's about an hour ago."

Marshall felt his heart race at that news. Three young girls would stand no chance against these men.

"Can I have her address and phone number?" Marshall asked.

"Yes," Audrey replied, turning to get something to write it on.

"Thank you," Marshall replied, taking the information. "Could you please call Rizzo and have her tell Emma that she's in serious trouble and she knows the drill."

"I will, but is there something I'm missing? Emma was thrilled about going and said she had your permission," Audrey replied, confused by the facial expression on Joseph's face.

"Emma told me they were staying here for the weekend," Marshall replied, before turning to leave.

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have let them leave if I had known. I'll call Rizzo right away," Audrey said, upset by the last bit of information. Sandy had known and lied to her also.

Marshall quickly pulled away from the house. It was approximately a six hour drive to Los Angeles.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Sandy and Drae pulled up in front of Rizzo's house. Rizzo opened the door and let them in.

"You both are so busted. Emma, your Dad is on his way. He should be here shortly and Sandy, Mom is pissed at you for lying about Emma having permission to be here," Rizzo warned.

"Did my Dad say anything specific?" Drae asked, worried.

"Something about you knowing the drill," Rizzo replied, and noticed the color drain out of Emma's face.

"Pull all the shades and lock all the windows and doors," Drae said urgently.

"What's going on?" Sandy asked, never seeing Emma act this way before.

"We have to do it now," Drae said, quickly starting to pull the shades and lock the windows and the doors.

Sandy and Rizzo stared for a few seconds at Emma as she frantically wove her way around the room. Shrugging they quickly began to follow suit.

"What's going on Emma?" Sandy and Rizzo asked again.

"I can't explain most of it to you, but as soon as my Dad gets near he'll call and then I'll have to leave. He'll have you call the police and get some policemen here to make sure that you're safe. In the meantime we need to stay away from all doors and windows, and shut the lights off," Drae said, shutting the light off wishing she'd thought of that earlier. "We don't answer the door for anyone, but my Dad."

"You're seriously freaking out here, Emma. What someone wants you dead?" Sandy asked teasingly.

Drae was about to say something when her cell phone buzzed and she saw it was her Uncle.

"I can explain."

"We'll discuss this later. You have now put not only yourself in jeopardy, but also your friends. I'm on my way to the door. All three of you need to leave. You're coming with me and your friends are going to the local Marshal office. I'll give them something to explain to an inspector there," Marshall said, trying to keep the fury out of his voice. He had already had to tell his father that Drae snuck off and they had to find a friend they could trust to keep Rizzo and Sandy safe without getting him involved.

Rizzo and Sandy were just staring strangely at Emma. "Are you going to fill us in on what has you so freaked out other than your Dad being mad at you?"

Drae was about to answer when the doorbell rang.

"Dad?"

"Yes, open up," Marshall demanded.

"I'm sorry," Drae said, softly.

Marshall ignored her for the moment. His top priority was getting them out safely.

"Rizzo, I need you and Sandy to take your car and head to the U.S. Marshal building. Do you know where it is?"

"Yes," Rizzo replied. "What's going on?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. The less you know the better off you are. Do** not **stop for anyone. Cop, sheriff or anyone else until you've reached the Marshal building. A man by the name of Inspector William Hunter will be waiting for you. Do exactly as he tells you. Do you understand?" Marshall asked.

Rizzo didn't know what was going on, but she knew it was bad by Mr. Martin's tone of voice. "I understand."

"Let's go. If I tell you to do something you do it with no questions or arguments," Marshall said, as they headed towards the door.

They were almost to the car when Marshall noticed a car's lights turn on and start accelerating in their direction. A second later he could see a man leaning out with a semi automatic weapon.

"Get down. Get down, now!" Marshall shouted pushing the three girls to the ground.

"Keep your heads down and don't move. Rizzo, call 911." He waited for her to nod before trying to raise his head up to get their position.

The bullets began to clink against the car as the girls voices screamed in terror.

"Keep your heads down!" Marshall saw his chance to make a move when the man began to change his clip. Stepping out he pulled his gun and shot the man changing the clip before turning to fire at the driver.

"Uncle Marshall," Drae called out in fear, not realizing her slip of tongue. A crash was suddenly heard and Marshall reappeared by the girls.

"Rizzo, you and Sandy get in your car and go now. Tell Inspector Hunter what happened here. Emma, get in the backseat and lay on the floorboard," Marshall instructed. He made sure the sisters drove away and then he sped off in the other direction.

"Uncle Marshall, will those men catch up to us?" Drae asked, scared.

"No, they won't be following us," Marshall replied, before turning his attention on getting them out of California and heading towards Utah. It was still close enough to New Mexico and he had a feeling at some point he was definitely going to need Stan and Mary's help.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was thrilled the Williams case ended a week earlier then expected. She and Stan were on their way to the airport now to fly to Sacramento. They had Marshall's home and work address so they could easily get to him. They were boarding the leer jet when Stan's cell rang.

"McQueen."

Stan was silent as he listened to the information coming in. Mary noticed when he started running his hand over his bald spot. Something was up and it wasn't good. She waited until he hung up.

"What's going on?" Mary asked.

"Our trip is cancelled. Our boy is no longer in Sacramento," Stan replied.

"How can you be so sure?" Mary asked, wanting Stan to be wrong.

"I just got off the phone with an Inspector Hunter from the L.A. office. Marshall and his niece are in the wind. Before you ask, yes I'm sure it's them. Apparently, Drae aka Emma called him Uncle Marshall last night while bullets were being fired at them. Marshall never mentioned where they were headed to the other girls. He kept them out of the loop as much as possible to protect them. We're back to square one," Stan said, frustrated.

Mary had an idea about someone who could help her find Marshall.

"Can you drop me off at my house? I need to get something," Mary asked.

Mary waited until Stan left and went digging in her drawer for the card she stuffed in there a few years ago. She never considered using it, but a nagging feeling told her to keep it. Finally finding the card she pulled it out and dialed.

"Mary Shannon, I was beginning to think you'd never call me," Rabbi Samuel Garfinkel said.

"Well I never thought I'd need your services. Still willing to help me locate someone?" Mary asked.

"You'll need to give me all the information you have on your father," Sam replied.

"I'm not looking for my father. I need you to find Marshall for me," Mary said.

"Your partner?" Sam asked, surprised.

"He and his family are off the radar. Marshall has been shot at and is on the run again," Mary said, launching into what she knew about where Marshall was and what his alias had been.

"I'll let you know what I find out."

"Thank you," Mary said, sincerely.


	4. Chapter 4

Marshall and Drae arrived in Salt Lake City around three in the morning. Neither had spoken a word since they had left Sacramento and Drae had fallen asleep an hour ago.

He knew his niece felt guilty, but it didn't begin to cover the fear she'd put him through. Gently shaking her shoulder they entered the hotel and headed towards their room. Drae fell asleep shortly after plopping face first onto the bed. Marshall waited to make sure she was asleep before calling his father. He knew this was going to be a less than pleasant conversation.

Dialing the number he waited for his Dad to pick up and was surprised when he heard a different voice.

"Marshall, how's Drae?" his brother, Gavin demanded.

"As well as can be expected under the circumstances," Marshall replied, not wanting to tell him that she was upset and angry.

"Why the hell did you let her go to Los Angeles when you were in Sacramento and not around to protect her?" Gavin asked, angrily.

"I didn't _let _her go to Los Angeles at all. I told her she could spend the weekend at her friend's house in Sacramento as long as I knew where she was at all times." Marshall snapped back.

"Well she didn't, did she? What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get her killed? You're her uncle you're supposed to give a damn about what happens to her," Gavin yelled back.

"Don't you dare start with me Gavin, the reason she's in this mess in the first place is because of you. If I wanted to get her killed then I wouldn't have bothered going to L.A. to find her. I would've gotten back into the car and went home. She's never lied to me before, so excuse me for expecting her to be honest. If you're so damn concerned why aren't you protecting her? You think I can't handle the job then you can come and take over." Marshall shouted through the phone. He was tired and had reached his limit.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Marshall, it's Dad."

"I don't need his crap. I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances. Drae can't be locked down at all times either. She needs to have some fun once in awhile. She told me she was staying at her friend's house. How the _hell_ was I supposed to know she was lying to me?" Marshall asked, still fuming over his brother's accusations.

"Gavin's worried and isn't thinking straight right now. He knows full well that you'll do everything in your power to keep Drae safe," Seth replied, glaring at Gavin to make sure he knew of his disapproval of his treatment towards Marshall. Seth could also tell Marshall was worn out by the language he used. Marshall was usually a lot more careful about how he phrased things.

"Don't defend his actions to me, Dad," Marshall bit out in frustration.

"Marshall, calm down. I'm not choosing sides. I know that you're doing the best that you can. If I had doubts about your ability to protect my granddaughter do you honestly think that I would've sent her with you?"

Marshall took a deep calming breath. He glanced over at Drae to make sure she was still asleep.

Seth heard Marshall take the deep breath.

"Are you alright?" Seth asked, worried.

"Yeah," Marshall replied, swiftly.

"Marshall, talk to me. I know we have issues, but please just talk to me," Seth said, knowing there was more to Marshall's current mood then just what happened.

"I'm fine, Dad. Just tired and really didn't need Gavin's crap," Marshall replied, not willing to mention the fear he felt the entire drive to Los Angeles or how he was questioning if he'd make a good father if he couldn't even handle his niece.

"Marshall, it's more than being tired," Seth said, knowing pushing could backfire.

"Where did the leak come from?" Marshall asked, trying to take the focus off of him.

"We know the leak is in the D.O.J. but we're not sure who they are connected with in the Marshal Service. You got exposed when your partner, boss and one Eleanor Prince researched a photo of Drae at the train station. Bells and whistles went off as they tried to track down anyone in the family," Seth replied.

"Mary was at the train station when we went to pick up Rizzo there. She must have taken a photo of Drae. They ran the photo and got the information. They aren't going to let this go, Dad. Eleanor will be a lot more discreet about her searching and do it under the radar, but they won't stop looking. They probably know about the shooting by now and are going to double their efforts," Marshall said knowingly.

"What alias are you using now?" Seth asked.

"Claire and Eddie Winston. I'm going to get a paper and see what kind of job I can find. I have enough money to last for awhile. Claire is going to need school transcripts again and I have to find us somewhere to live," Marshall said, tiredly.

"Get some sleep. Call me in the morning and I'll make sure you have transcripts for the school. They'll be sent electronically with no way to trace back," Seth replied. "Goodnight, Marshall."

"Goodnight, Dad."

Marshall went around the room and checked the doors and looked outside one more time before getting ready to turn the light off. Just as he reached for the switch he heard a sniffle from the bed.

"Drae?" Marshall asked, softly.

"I'm so sorry, Uncle Marshall," Drae said, sitting up with tears streaking down her cheek. "Please don't hate me."

Marshall felt like a jerk for causing her to cry. "Drae, I could never hate you. That doesn't mean I won't get mad at you or be upset or disappointed in you. I will never hate you."

"I heard what you said to Dad," Drae replied. "I'm sorry I messed up your life."

Marshall sat on the bed next to his niece and pulled her into a hug. "You haven't messed up my life kiddo. Your Dad just irritated me and I lashed out in anger. I love you, Drae. That is never going to change. I'm tired and irritable and it's been a long day. Why don't we get rested up and tomorrow we can go over our new identities and I'll start looking for a job."

Drae clung tighter to Marshall and began to sob into his chest. He rocked her back and forth while trying to soothe her. It was the first release of emotion that she had displayed since all of this started. Marshall lowered her gently back on the bed after she cried herself to sleep. Exhausted himself he moved to the bed nearest the door and swiftly fell asleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Stan, what do you have on the shooting in Sacramento?" Mary asked, walking straight into Stan's office.

"Both men were killed. The L.A. Marshal Service is running their fingerprints and is going to send me a copy of the results," Stan replied.

"They had automatic weapons, Stan. How the hell is Marshall supposed to defend himself if they send a group of them without having backup?" Mary asked.

"Mary, Marshall knows how to protect himself. He has extra motive to be even more careful with his niece in tow. The question to be asking is how were they found in Sacramento? We didn't know where they were until we ran his niece's photo," Stan asked.

"Is there a mole? Did we lead them to Marshall and his niece?" Mary asked.

"Mary, is that a pile of ants under your desk?" Stan asked suddenly.

Mary looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"It could be," Mary replied, not sure what she was supposed to say. It was so much easier with Marshall.

"I guess I'll have to call the exterminator to get rid of those pesky bugs," Stan replied.

Mary catching on smiled. "I do believe you're right, boss."

"I'll fill out the request when we get back from breakfast and you can fill me in on your witnesses while were out," Stan said.

"Sounds good," Mary replied, moving to get her things ready to go.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall's cell rang and Drae looked over to see her Uncle sleeping still. She knew that she'd caused him a lot of problems and didn't know how to make up for it. Deciding to let him sleep a little longer she picked up the cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Drae, where's Uncle Marshall?" Seth asked, concerned.

"He's still asleep. I don't think he got much last night. Grandpa it wasn't his fault. I lied to him. I just wanted to have some fun. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. Please don't let Daddy blame Uncle Marshall," Drae pleaded.

"Drae, I promise I won't let your Dad blame Marshall. We've already had a discussion about his conversation with your Uncle and I can guarantee you, that it won't happen again," Seth replied.

Drae knew full well that meant her father got an earful from her Grandpa. She never liked being on the end of one of Grandpa Seth's lectures.

"Can I talk to Mom and Dad?" Drae asked, hopefully.

"Unfortunately, not at this moment. Drae, I know Uncle Marshall needs his sleep, but I really need to talk to him. Can you wake him up for me?" Seth asked, gently.

"Sure," Drae said, moving to shake her Uncle's arm. His reaction to her touch caused her to jump back.

Marshall felt an arm on him and shot up to a sitting position while pulling his gun out. Looking around quickly he saw Drae staring at him wide eyed with the cell phone in her hand.

"Drae, who's on the phone?" Marshall asked, worried they were going to have to move again.

"Grandpa Seth. He wanted me to wake you up. I'm sorry," Drae said, quickly realizing she'd scared him.

"It's okay kiddo," Marshall said, as Drae passed him the phone. "Dad, what's up?

"I wanted to check on both of you and let you know that a friend of a friend can get you a job working on at a construction site," Seth replied before giving Marshall the information. "Drae's transcripts have been sent to the high school. I arranged for her to start tomorrow and you have an interview at the construction site tomorrow. You sound exhausted. The two of you need a day to rest."

"Have there been any more attempts on anyone or information on who the leak is?"

"We're all fine. Gavin and Carina are still healing. Your brother feels like an idiot and will be apologizing the next time he talks to you. We're safely hidden out. You and Drae seem to have drawn all the attention. I'd call Stan and Mary to tell them to back off, but I doubt it would work and they're probably bugged," Seth replied.

"They probably already figured that out," Marshall said, hanging up.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary and Stan were sitting in the back booth at the diner waiting for their waitress to finish filling their coffee cups so they could get back to their conversation.

"Finally," Mary muttered after the waitress left.

Stan for once could understand her impatience. He was very worried about Marshall.

"I'm guessing that the office, our homes, and phones are bugged. There is no way Marshall left a trail for them to follow. If you hadn't snapped that photo of his niece, there wouldn't be a trail at all," Stan said.

"So this is my fault?" Mary snapped.

"No, but our looking for Marshall seems to have caused him a lot of trouble. Eleanor is trying to look under the radar for us. I should've known something was up. Marshall doesn't start off snippy, it usually takes a lot to get him there," Stan said.

"I have a friend looking for Marshall, also," Mary confessed.

"Who and how reliable and safe is this person?" Stan asked, worried.

"I'm not stupid, Stan. Let's just say it's someone who has an uncanny way of finding people that he's not supposed to," Mary replied.

"Seen a Rabbi lately?" Stan asked.

"A little confession is good for the soul. Marshall is moving around, but wouldn't want to go to far from help that he can trust. We're his backup plan," Mary said, realizing what was happening.

"Agreed. In the meantime how can we track him down? I'd feel better if he had someone else to cover his back," Stan replied, before he cell rang. "McQueen."

"Hi Stan. The Italian dinner was a bust last night. Tony Soprano would've sent some goons after the chef and bust them. That family wouldn't be safe from that man especially the eldest son. The revenge alone for ruining things would come at a high price. Speaking of dinner I was planning a surprise trip to town. Why don't you and Mary join me for dinner tonight?" Eleanor said.

"We'd be delighted to. How long are you going to be in town?" Stan asked.

"At least three or four days, possibly a week. I'll meet you at our favorite place. See you tonight Stan," Eleanor said, before hanging up.

"What?" Mary asked, eagerly.

"If I interpreted correctly, Marshall's oldest brother was on a bust for some mob guys that went wrong. The goons went after his brother and the family is in hiding. So I'm guessing they found them and that is why we can't locate the Manns. Eleanor is flying in tonight and wants to meet us for dinner. My guess is she has more information, but knows not to trust the phone," Stan said.

"Jesus, Stan. The mob is after him and he's running alone with a teenager and not just any teenager his own niece. Knowing Marshall he's probably not even sleeping well. Could Seth have asked him to do more without any help?" Mary said, frustrated.

"Mary…" Stan said, before being cut off.

"No, Marshall is out their playing, Dad, protector and human shield. Don't try and tell me it was the best they could do," Mary bit out.

"We don't even know the full circumstances. I did find out more on the shooting," Stan replied, filling Mary in on the events from that night.

"This gets better," Mary said, flinging her hands up in the air in disgust. "Dracen is from a family of marshals, she should know better then to run off like that. Is she trying to get Marshall killed?"

Stan was about to reply when he noticed to men enter the diner that looked off to him. Raising his phone to look like he was going to call someone he snapped their photos.

"Well I'm glad to hear your witnesses are doing well. I do believe it's time to get back to work," Stan said, sliding out of the booth.

Mary picked up on Stan's slight change in demeanor and knew there was a reason for it. Sliding out of the booth she saw the two men being led to a seat. They were heading back towards where they had been sitting. Once Mary and Stan were outside the diner, Mary scoped the parking lot to make sure no one else suspicious was around.

"We need burn phones. Some way to communicate without leading anyone to Marshall. They're trying to use us to find him," Mary said.

"I need to get these photos to Eleanor to see if she can have them run and identified. At this point, I don't think anything is secure within our office or homes. We also need to find a way to communicate with the Mann family. I want a word or two with Seth," Stan replied.

"Welcome to the club," Mary muttered, under her breath. She was hoping to hear back from Samuel soon. The faster he found Marshall the sooner she could get to him to make sure he was okay so she could kick his ass when it was all over. If Marshall thought he could give her heartburn like this he had another thing coming.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been two weeks since Marshall and Dracen had moved to Salt Lake City. Much to Marshall's dismay, Drae was avoiding making friends.

He knew that the incident in Sacramento scared her, but he didn't want her to feel isolated. To make up for it he'd been taking her places on the weekend to get her out of the apartment.

This weekend they were heading to do some shopping. It was while they were shopping Marshall felt someone watching them. Steering his niece through the crowd he sent her into a store and made his way through the crowd to come up behind the man he's spotted through the window.

"Is there are particular reason you're finding my daughter interesting?" Marshall growled in the man's ear.

Samuel couldn't help but smile at the marshal for getting the drop on him.

"You have friends that are very concerned about your well being."

Marshall recognized the voice immediately and turned the man around so they were facing each other.

"Samuel, are you trying to get us killed?" Marshall asked.

"No, Mary was concerned enough about you to call and ask me to find you. This by the way wasn't that easy. Your late arrival at the hotel made you stand out or I would've missed you completely," Samuel replied.

"I can't talk, not here and not now. Meet me tomorrow morning at the coffee shop, I'm assuming you know where and I'll talk to you then," Marshall said.

"What time?" Samuel asked.

"Eight," Marshall replied.

"Until then," Samuel said, before slipping into the crowd.

Marshall cursed silently. They were going to have to move again. He trusted Samuel enough, but if the hotel manager recognized Marshall and Drae someone else could just as easily get the information. Moving was their only option. Now he had to decide where. They couldn't keep staying close to Albuquerque or it would become obvious what he was doing.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary and Stan now had burn phones now so when Mary's regular cell informed her that she had a text message she looked at it quickly.

_Morning coffee tomorrow with old friend. S._

Mary was excited, but had to remember to give Sam the new number to contact her. Sam had found Marshall and she didn't want them leading the mob to him. Walking into Stan's office Mary casually talked about a witness while setting her cell phone down so Stan could see the text.

"That's great news, Mary. I'm glad all is going well with your witnesses search for a job," Stan replied. They were being extra cautious in everything they said and did in the office and at home. They had found bugs in all of the locations they had searched, but couldn't move them or they'd alert someone they'd been discovered. There was no need to put the Manns in any more trouble. It was a risk they weren't willing to take.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Marshall had driven three times around the coffee shop before finally parking. He had Drae get on the floor and cover up with a blanket. He couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched and it wasn't by Samuel. Checking his Glock one more time he headed in to the coffee shot to see Samuel reading a newspaper in the back, where he could have a full view of people's coming and going.

Marshall went to the counter, bought a coffee and headed towards Samuel.

Samuel did not miss the way Marshall continued to look around. The inspector was wary of something. This did not bode well for the young man.

"Eddie, please have a seat," Samuel said.

"What brings you to Salt Lake?" Marshall asked.

"Our mutual friends are concerned about you and your daughter. They'd be more than willing to help you," Samuel replied.

"Tell our friends that I'll make contact if I need them, but it's safer for them to stay away," Marshall said, softly.

"They're already digging on the sly through another mutual friend. That one should've been a spy according to your friends" Samuel replied.

Marshall couldn't help but smirk at that comment; he knew it came from Mary. He didn't like the fact that Eleanor was now involved. If things unraveled he didn't want any of them getting hurt because of him.

"You have some very unfriendly people after you and they want to help," Samuel replied.

"The more they look the more they compromise us. There's a mole in the D.O.J. and the Marshal Service. One is high enough up to be able to pull strings that no one else could. It's the only way the office and their work and personal phones could be tapped. At least that's what we think," Marshall said, needing Samuel to get the information to Mary so she backed off.

"I'll let her know. Have you been compromised again?" Samuel asked.

"I trust my instinct and it's screaming that I'm being watched. I'm not going to tell you where we're headed. I appreciate you helping Mary and Stan, but they need to keep their distance. It isn't safe for anyone right now, and that includes you."

"I'll be careful," Samuel replied.

Tell Stan, I'll use a burn phone to call them so it can't be traced when I feel it's safe or necessary," Marshall said.

Samuel passed Marshall a piece of paper as they spoke. "Use these numbers. They're having insect problems at home and work."

Marshall saw a car slow down outside and drive around a second time.

"Samuel, go out the back and don't look back. Don't come looking for me again. I have to go. Tell Stan and Mary that I'm sorry," Marshall warned, getting up and heading out quickly.

Samuel knew something had spooked Marshall and when he heard the gunshots shortly after the inspector left the building he knew they'd been located again. Sneaking out the back Samuel moved into a position to see if he could make sure Marshall was alright.

The squealing of tires quickly caught his attention and Samuel memorized the truck make, model and license plate. Getting on the phone he quickly arranged for a flight to Albuquerque. Marshall needed help and he needed it badly; even if he hadn't realized it yet.

When Samuel reached the airport he quickly texted Mary to arrange a meeting in order to get them searching for Marshall and his niece.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was sitting at her desk when the text came in.

_King James Bible Jeremiah 11:19. Friends should meet & discuss over coffee. 2 hours._

"Morse freaking code," Mary muttered under her breath while looking up the verse on the net.

_But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; And I did not know that they had devised plots against me, {saying,} "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, And let us cut him off from the land of the living, That his name be remembered no more." _

Mary was cursing under her breath while printing out what the verse. Grabbing the paper off the printer she headed into Stan's office. Put the phone in front of him so he could see the text while laying the printout of the verse in front of Stan.

"Let's go do your witness rounds and then stop for some breakfast," Stan said.

"Sounds good," Mary replied.

Stan went to get a vehicle and had it scanned for bugs. Once he was sure it was clean he had the tracking device for the vehicle turned off. He was taking no chances of them being followed or listened to.

Mary joined Stan a few minutes later. She got in the car and they started to drive around. They would kill time before meeting Samuel, but they needed to be able to talk without being overheard.

"If Samuel is that worried about Marshall, something must have happened," Mary said, looking at Stan.

"That's what I was thinking. We are going to need to be able to locate Marshall without advertising it. This is where it's going to get tricky," Stan replied, pulling out his cell.

"Stan, is everything alright?" Eleanor asked, coming through the speaker.

"No, it's not. I have Mary here. Samuel sent us a warning that Marshall is in trouble. We're meeting Samuel here for coffee, but are going to need help tracking Marshall on the sly. We still don't know who the leak or leaks are," Stan replied.

With the two hours finally up they headed to the coffee house. Entering the coffee house they found Samuel in the back. He was watching the doors and windows nonchalantly. Mary felt her worry increase. She and Stan both picked up their pace and quickly grabbed a seat.

"What's going on?" Mary asked.

Samuel told him about the incident in Salt Lake City.

"Was he injured?" Stan asked, concerned.

"I have no way of knowing. He got out of town quickly and he does have your burn numbers. Here is the license plate, make and model of the truck Marshall was driving. Whatever you do make sure you only use people that you know and trust. I never leaked Marshall's whereabouts and most people don't have the connections I do. I'll keep those connections looking for him. I'll let you know if they locate him," Samuel said, before getting up to leave.

Mary could feel the tension building in her shoulders. Marshall was on the road with a teenager and may or may not be injured. The teen wouldn't have a clue how to help her Uncle.

"This just keeps getting better," Mary bit out sarcastically.

Stan was about to agree when his phone went off.

"McQueen."

"Stan, it's Seth. I know that you have an idea about what's been going on. We just found the two leaks and have them in jail without any chance of getting in contact with anyone to finish what was started. One squealed. There are two men tracking Marshall and Drae but we don't know how. Marshall needs backup."

"They found them in Salt Lake City from what a friend of ours said. Marshall was shot at, but we have no clue as to whether he was injured or not. I have the information on the truck and know for a fact that there is nothing that Marshall left with that could be traced or we would've found him by now. I'm assuming at this point Mary and I were his backup plan," Stan replied.

"Yes, we were trying to keep you out of it for as long as possible. We didn't want anyone else getting hurt. The question is how in the hell are they tracking them?" Seth said.

"What did Drae bring with her?" Stan asked, suddenly.

"Clothes, brush, makeup, shoes backpack, watch and her IPOD," Seth replied.

"I'm assuming the suspects have been interrogated, did any of them say how they set up Gavin and his wife?" Stan asked.

"They swore they didn't give them the address. According to them, they just gave them the information on Gavin, his family and the rest of us," Seth replied.

"What does Drae take with her everywhere?" Stan asked.

"Her iPOD and her watch," Seth replied.

"The watch would be easier to tamper with," Stan said

"Yeah, and my boss found it at the house before we were moved and Carina shipped it to Drae in Sacramento," Seth replied.

"Where would Marshall go next?" Stan asked.

"He was originally trying to stay in a fairly close driving distance to Albuquerque, but he's probably worried they figured that out. I'll send you the list of burn phone numbers I have for him. I don't know which one he's currently using; but I crossed out the ones he's already used. If he knows they're in trouble, he'll come to you. If he's not sure he'll head somewhere away from you," Seth replied.

"We'll keep tapping our resources. You let us know if you hear anything, we'll do the same," Stan said, hanging up.

"Marshall is a sitting target and doesn't even know it. That's assuming he's not already injured," Mary said.

"If he's hurt he'll come home. Marshall won't give his niece over to just anyone. It has to be the people he trusts most. He can't go to his biological family, but he can come home to our makeshift one," Stan replied. "We're going to keep trying the cell phone numbers until he picks up. They have to ditch that watch."

/\\\\\

Marshall was heading to Albuquerque; he was in a whole world of trouble at this point. While Dracen was still lying on the floor board he patched up his bullet wound to the best of his ability. He just needed to make the ten hour drive home and he could turn her over to Stan and Mary. The biggest problem at the moment was getting there. He wasn't sure how they were found and if they were being tailed.

"Drae, can you hand me one of the cell phones from the bag next to you?"

Drae began to dig through the bag until she found one of the phones. Handing the phone to her Uncle she noticed the blood on his hand.

"Uncle Marshall, why is there blood on your hands?"

"It's nothing, sweetie," Marshall said trying to reassure his niece.

Drae knew that something was wrong with her uncle. His voice wasn't the usual soothing tone she was accustomed to. She watched him as he dialed the phone.

"Shannon," Mary answered her cell irritated that someone was bothering her while she was looking for Marshall.

"Mare," Marshall said, softly.

"Marshall? Where are you?" Mary was going to signal Stan, but he had already heard her call out Marshall's name.

"Headed your way, but I'm not sure if I'm being tailed," Marshall replied.

"You need to have your niece toss her watch. We think it has a tracker. Your Dad mentioned that your sister-in-law sent it to her shortly before the shooting. They caught the leaks," Mary said, and began filling him in on the rest of Seth's conversation. She heard Marshall tell his niece to toss the watch out the window.

"Marshall, Samuel told us he heard gunshots when you left the coffee shop. Are you hurt?" Stan asked.

"Can you meet me in Cortez, Colorado? I need to make a pit stop at Southwest Memorial. I need you to protect Drae," Marshall said.

"I'm arranging a flight for Mary and me to meet you there. How far away are you?" Stan asked, as he and Mary grabbed their keys, guns and badges.

"Should be about two hours," Marshall replied.

"Keep this phone and we'll call you back once we land. Marshall, how bad are you hurt?" Stan asked.

Marshall looked at the blood on his shirt sleeve. It obviously hadn't hit anything major in his arm.

"I'll need a patch job," Marshall replied, the only way he could without scaring his niece more.

"Marshall…" Mary started.

"Same promise holds as before, I know," Marshall said.

"You call us if anything changes," Stan replied, getting into Mary's car.

"See you later, oh and Stan let my Dad and brother know that Drae is okay. Thanks," Marshall said, before disconnecting from them.

The second Marshall hung up Stan made another call.

"I want a helicopter on standby at the Cortez Municipal Airport," Stan ordered


	6. Chapter 6

"Uncle Marshall, who were you talking to?" Drae finally asked.

"My boss Stan and my partner Mary from Albuquerque. When we get to Cortez, they are going to keep and eye on you until Grandpa and your Dad show up," Marshall replied.

"You're hurt. That's why there's blood on your hand," Drae said, frightened.

"I'll be fine kiddo. You just do whatever they tell you to do," Marshall replied.

"I'm not a baby any more. I know that you're not 'fine'. Just tell me the truth," Drae demanded.

Marshall hated that Drae knew him as well as she did. It made lying to her harder. This time she might need to know the truth. He was worried he wouldn't make it into Cortez.

"Alright, the truth is I was shot outside the coffee house and even after patching it up, I'm still bleeding. It's not anything vital, but we may have to pull over if I can't make it the last hour of our journey. If I start to feel lightheaded, then we'll find somewhere to hide you. You'll need to call Mary and Stan. Mary is the first number on speed dial. Stan will be trying to coordinate things and more than likely Grandpa will call him. No matter what happens you do not come out of hiding unless it's for Stan, Mary, your Dad, Uncle Kyler or Grandpa. Do I make myself clear?" Marshall asked.

"I understand, but what about you?" Drae asked,

"Don't worry about me. If I tell you to do something you do it and don't look back," Marshall said, needing above everything else for Drae to be okay.

Drae knew what he was implicating and hated it with a passion.

"Give me the phone," Drae demanded.

"Why?" Marshall asked, surprised at his nieces tone.

"I'm getting your friends here to meet us so you get help faster. You can be just as pigheaded as Grandpa when you want to be. Give me the phone," Drae demanded again.

"I can call them myself," Marshall objected.

"Yet, you haven't," Drae replied. When he still didn't move she unbuckled her seat belt and moved forward and quickly snatched it up.

"Drae," Marshall said, sternly. It was to no avail she had sat back, put her seatbelt on and was already dialing.

"Marshall, what's up?" Mary asked, answering on the first ring.

"What's up is your partner, my uncle is too stubborn and pigheaded to tell you that he's hurt and needs help preferably now. Not in an hour if we make it to Cortez without him passing out. His hands have blood on them. His voice is trying to mask his pain and he gave me a lecture on what to do if he does pass out for starters," Drae said, annoyed.

"You must be Dracen," Mary replied.

"Congratulations Einstein, now what are you going to do to help my Uncle?" Drae demanded, not caring that she was being rude. She just wanted Uncle Marshall to be okay.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary's eyebrow shot up in curiosity at the attitude that came through the phone. She was about to lecture the kid when she thought about the tone and the way things were said. The niece was scared and using anger and attitude to hide it. Mary knew the trait well.

"We have a helicopter on stand by and can meet you at your location, if you could tell us where you're at," Mary replied.

"I saw a sign were heading south on 491 and just passed Dove Creek, Colorado," Drae said.

"We're getting in the helicopter now. Stay on the phone with me okay?" Mary replied.

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Drae was about to answer, when she felt the car accelerating.

"Drae, get on the floor now and brace yourself," Marshall ordered.

"Drae, what's going on?" Mary asked, hearing Marshall's command.

"Uncle Marshall, what's wrong?" Drae asked.

"We've got company," Marshall replied.

Drae relayed the information to Mary, who relayed it to Stan.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"How far out are we?" Stan asked the pilot.

"About ten minutes," the pilot answered.

"Drae, tell Marshall we're ten minutes out," Mary ordered.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Drae was about to tell Marshall what Mary said but wasn't able to get the words out before her uncle called out a warning.

"Drae, brace yourself," Marshall yelled, just before the truck rammed them from behind.

Drae couldn't help the scream that escaped her throat. She didn't even realize that she was clinging onto the phone for dear life until she heard the voice coming through.

"What's going on? Drae, what is happening?" Mary demanded.

"Drae, keep your head down," Marshall yelled out, while accelerating the car and trying to get rid of their tail. Looking in the rearview mirror he saw a man lean out the window with a gun pointing at them. "Drae, cover your head and tell Mary to get her ass here yesterday."

Drae did as instructed.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"They're in serious trouble. Can't you get this hunk of metal to go faster?" Mary demanded.

"Seven minutes," the pilot shot back.

Mary couldn't believe it had only been three minutes. It was beginning to feel like an eternity and if Marshall was asking them to hurry it was bad. Keeping the phone pressed to her ear she listened as her anxiety level increased with each passing second.

Drae was explaining to Mary about them being rear ended when she heard Marshall's niece scream and glass shattering along with the very distinct sound of bullets hitting the car.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall continued to accelerate but couldn't get far enough away from the bullets.

"Drae, I need you to lie across the seat but put a seatbelt on. Do not lift your head up or move from that position."

Drae did as her uncle asked, while continuing to relay the information to Mary.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan looked down and could see the truck pursuing Marshall and his niece.

"Find a way to get that other car away from them," Stan ordered just before a shot hit the tire of Marshall's vehicle and sent them off the road before they hit something that caused the car to flip over before landing upright.

"Marshall!" Mary yelled out at the same time.

"Get us on the ground now!" Stan ordered, as he saw the men from the truck getting out.

The helicopter began to land as Mary and Stan both began firing at the men from the truck. The two men changed direction when the shots were being fired at them to head to their truck for cover. They both went down before they made it.

Getting out of the helicopter they moved to check on the two men first. Mary reached down and found no pulse on the one while and Stan handcuffed the other man.

Once the man was secured they both ran towards Marshall's truck. Marshall was slumped against the steering wheel and Dracen appeared to be unconscious in the backseat. They tried the door handles before smashing the passenger window in.

Mary climbed in the passenger door towards Marshall after unlocking the back door so Stan could check on Drae.

She noticed her fingers trembling as she reached for Marshall's neck. There had to be a pulse. Taking a calming breath, she smiled as she was rewarded with a pulse.

"Mmm," Drae moaned from the backseat.

"Drae, I'm Stan McQueen from Albuquerque. I'm your uncle's boss," Stan said, as she began to open her eyes.

Drae recognized the name and began to relax until she realized that her uncle wasn't asking about her or saying anything. She tried to sit up to get a look at him.

"Uncle Marshall? Uncle Marshall, answer me," Drae said, her voice sounding panicky as she didn't get a reply. "What's going on with Uncle Marshall?"

"Don't you worry about your Uncle. He's a really tough guy," Stan replied.

"Don't try and tell me what you think I want to hear. I need to know that he's okay," Drae said, tears beginning to streak down her face. She could see Stan's reluctance to answer. "For Pete's sake, I'm from a family of marshals. I know what can go wrong. Just tell me how he is."

"Mare?" Stan asked, also wanting to know his inspectors status.

"We need to get him to the hospital. He's bleeding, unconscious and not responding. He has two bullet wounds. Arm and abdomen," Mary replied.

"Is there an exit wound?" Stan asked.

"No, it's still inside. Stan, we need to get Marshall and Drae to the hospital," Mary said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

"Dracen, sit still," Stan ordered. "Does anything hurt?"

"Just my head. We can go. Please just help Uncle Marshall," Drae begged.

"Mary, Flight for life just landed. I'll get a ride there from the backup when it arrives. You ride with them. I'll also handle the call to Seth. Let me know the minute you hear something," Stan ordered.

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Stan watched the helicopter take off after they loaded Marshall and Drae aboard. He then pulled out his cell and dialed Seth. The backup had finally arrived, but he would be forced to stay for a little while before heading to the hospital.

"Mann."

"Seth, it's Stan."

"How are they?" Seth asked, concerned. He could tell something was wrong by Stan's tone.

"Dracen is bumped and bruised. Possibly a concussion, but other than that she's fine," Stan replied.

Seth noticed the fact that Stan hadn't mentioned Marshall. "How bad is he?" Seth asked.

"He was shot in the arm in Salt Lake City and was still losing blood, he's unconscious and going to be bruised all over plus and he has cuts on his face and another wound in his abdomen. The car accident I'm sure did nothing to help the bullet wounds," Stan replied.

"Where are you? We'll meet you there," Seth said.

Stan gave them all the information before commandeering one of the SUV's from the backup he called for and headed towards the hospital with lights flashing.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was in with Drae while the doctor's were checking her over. Marshall was taken into surgery. She had overheard them talking and knew it was bad.

Mary knew only two things at the moment. The first was that she had to keep his niece safe, all though they were pretty sure everyone was caught and the other thing was Seth Mann was going to get a piece of her mind when he showed his face.

Mary noticed the tears tracking down the side of Drae's face. God she hated trying to play comforter, but she'd do it for Marshall.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked.

"Is Uncle Marshall going to die?" Drae asked, fighting back the sob that wanted to escape.

"No, he's not," Mary replied firmly.

"How do you know?" Drae asked.

"He has a long outstanding promise to keep to me," Mary said.

"I don't want Dad to yell at Uncle Marshall again. It wasn't his fault that I went to UCLA. I lied to him. I just wanted to have a little fun. Will Uncle Marshall trust me again?"

Mary added Gavin to her list of people that needed a discussion. "You might have to earn it back, but in time he'll trust you again. No matter what you do to him; if he cares he won't give up on you," Mary replied, confidently.

The doctor entered, ending their conversation.

"What's the story?" Mary asked.

"She had a nasty bump on her head but no concussion. There are a few lacerations and she'll be bruised and sore for awhile. You can take her home, but keep an eye on her. If anything changes bring her back here," the doctor replied.

"What about her Uncle? Have you heard anything on his condition?" Mary asked, wanting some idea on what was going on with her partner.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know anything. You would need to speak with his doctor. A man arrived a few minutes ago and arranged a private waiting room for you. I'll have the nurse take you there," the doctor replied, before heading out. A few minutes later the nurse arrived and led them to the waiting room.

"Have you heard anything?" Mary asked Stan.

Stan shook his head no.

"Why don't you sit down and try to relax," Mary said to Drae.

"Your parents and grandparents should be here shortly," Stan informed Drae.

An hour passed and the door to the waiting room opened. Mary, Stan and Drae all looked up expecting to see the doctor walk in. To Mary's dismay Seth and what Mary presumed was the rest of Marshall's family walked in.

"Daddy," Drae said, rushing to her father.

Gavin opened his arms wide, closed his eyes and held on tightly to his daughter.

"Hey sweetie, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay, but Uncle Marshall is still in surgery and we haven't heard anything about him. Dad, it's all my fault he got hurt. I lied to him in Sacramento and they followed us because of my watch," Drae cried.

"It's not your fault Drae. Uncle Marshall wouldn't blame you and he definitely wouldn't want you blaming yourself," Gavin replied.

Seth could feel the heat of Mary's glare burning through both him and Gavin. There was going to be a very unpleasant conversation coming up and he wasn't so sure that they didn't deserve it at the moment.

"Stan. Mary. This is the rest of our family. Gavin and Carina are with Drae. This is my wife, Maggie. That is Kyler and his wife Jamie with their two sons Allen and Jacob," Seth said.

"How's my son?" Maggie asked, worried.

"We're still waiting to hear from the doctor. Seth, I know you're worried about Marshall, but we need to have a discussion," Stan said, determined.

Maggie could feel the tension in the room and knew that it was better to let them have their talk. She also knew that the wives and kids would be asked to leave.

"Why don't we non marshals take the kids to the cafeteria for something to eat unless you need someone to come with us? I expect to hear immediately if there is word on Marshall," Maggie said, sending Seth a look to make sure he understood.

"No, you don't need an escort; all of the people have been caught. We'll let you know as soon as the doctor is here or when we're done," Seth promised, watching them leave.

Mary waited until the door closed before turning her wrath onto her intended targets.

"What in the hell we're you thinking sending Marshall out on his own to protect a teenager girl from a mob family without anyone to cover his back. I know you don't understand your son, but I never thought you'd be so careless with his life," Mary growled out, finally having someone to vent at.

"Now wait one second…" Gavin started, before Mary turned on him.

"You have nothing to talk about. I know all about you yelling at Marshall for what happened in Sacramento when your daughter lied to him. You actually accused Marshall of trying to get her killed. Well you're stupidity damn well better not cost him his life or so help me you'll live to regret it every second of your miserable existence," Mary ranted.

Stan decided it was time to run interference.

"Mary, that's enough. I think they get the fact that you're justifiably pissed at them right now," Stan said, casting an unfavorable look at both Seth and Gavin.

"I won't apologize for doing what was necessary to protect my family. Marshall was sent with Dracen because we were going to continue to try and go after the people responsible for that attack and Gavin and his wife. Things changed when we discovered there was more than one leak in the D.O.J. We didn't know who was all involved and needed to make sure we kept things going with the minimal amount of people knowing. Marshall had already been handed Dracen and they were living in Sacramento. Our wives and my other grandchildren were going to be sent to a friend's house. We were getting them together when we noticed a truck following us. We made several turns to make sure we were being followed, before we lost them. That told us we were all being watched carefully and so for everyone's protection, we went into hiding, where Gavin, Kyler and I continued to try to search for the leak. We knew the leak at the D.O.J. was the one feeding them the information and giving them access to the families' information," Seth replied.

"Seth, you left Marshall on his own, even knowing things had changed. You knew Mary and I would do anything to help out. You should've called us," Stan said.

"They were watching anyone that was considered a close friend or a connection to any one of us. I wasn't taking that chance with my family,' Seth replied.

"No, you weren't taking that chance with anyone but Marshall and Drae," Mary said, angrily. "The rest of you were secure in some safe house while they were being hunted down. You knew where Marshall was and still didn't say anything. All of you recklessly endangered Marshall and Drae's lives."

"I would never put my daughter in harms way," Gavin replied, heatedly.

"Yet you did. Maybe not on purpose, but you still put them both at risk. The part that really gets to me is what you just said. You wouldn't put your daughter in harm's way, but you have no problem putting your own brother in harms way. He has a bullet wound from protecting _your _daughter and instead of seeking medical treatment right away; he drove until he knew he needed our help. The entire time his only concern was keeping your daughter alive. The only reason we managed to get there in time to prevent the men from killing them was because Stan had the foresight to have a helicopter waiting for us at the airport. The only person in all of this that had their head on straight in your family was Marshall," Mary yelled.

"Look I realize that you're upset and we as a whole made some judgment calls that in hindsight, we'd do over, but that doesn't give you the right to question our relationship with Marshall. We all care about him," Kyler said, hoping to diffuse the situation. His Dad hadn't been kidding when he said Marshall's partner was protective of his brother.

"Really? So in the eight years that Marshall and I've been partners, you cared about him so much that you showed up to see him a sum of zero times. Do you even bother to call him or do you isolate him, because he not like the rest of you. Is that why he never mentions any of you, because you're so close?" Mary bit out, before turning to Seth. "Did you learn anything at all from Operation Falcon or do you still only talk to Marshall about your wife's latest knitting projects? At this point I'm assuming Marshall takes after his mother, because thankfully he didn't turn out like the rest of you. You don't deserve to have a son or brother like Marshall."

"That's not fair Mary," Seth started.

"Don't you dare tell me what's fair. Marshall is in surgery fighting for his life because of the piss poor job you did of handling this mess. You left him out in the cold to survive with what I'm guessing was little to no information on all the things that were going on by you. You needlessly endangered two people that the lot of you claims to care about and yet you're trying to defend your irresponsible actions."

"You have no right to judge our family," Gavin snapped.

"I have every right, when you put Marshall in danger without any backup. You knew full well what kind of people he was up against and you still did nothing to help him."

"We made mistakes, Mary. I freely admit it. At the time, the choices seemed to be for the best. If I could change the way things were handled I would. On the other hand, don't you ever question the fact that I care about Marshall and Drae. I love my family and I won't stand for that kind of accusation."

"I don't give a damn what you will stand for or not. You can suck up the fact that you royally screwed up on this one."

Stan watched Mary finally sit down in a chair. She had said her peace and while still angry at them she made her point, at least by the looks on their faces.

"Seth, this will never happen again. If I find out that you ever put Marshall into an assignment without my knowledge or endanger his life again, I'll file as many complaints as it takes and if screws up your retirement or your other sons' careers I won't give a damn," Stan said, before sitting next to Mary.

Seth knew full well that Stan would go through with what he said. It didn't escape his notice that Stan was more of a father figure to Marshall than he had ever been. It was his own fault and he knew that also. He had to admit it stung to hear Mary say what she did; especially when he knew she was right.

"Kyler, go get you mother and the rest of the family," Seth said, before sitting down


	7. Chapter 7

Maggie and the rest of the family had been sitting in the waiting room for over an hour. The tension in the room impossible to ignore and she really hadn't missed the glaring daggers Mary was shooting at her husband and sons. It was obvious from the moment they returned to the waiting room that some kind of line had been drawn in the sand, so to speak. Her family was on one side while Stan and Mary sat separated from them. The two were looking rather angry. Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Everyone stood up as the doctor entered.

Mary wasn't in the mood for waiting.

"How's Marshall?" she asked, before the doctor had a chance to say anything at all.

"Mr. Mann suffered a bullet wound to the arm that appears to be older than the other wounds. It appears that he wrapped it up, but it continued to bleed. He also has a bullet wound that entered near his abdomen. We had to give him a transfusion with the amount of blood he lost, but we were able to get the bleeding stopped. The good news is he regained consciousness shortly before he went into surgery. He has a mild concussion and several lacerations on his face. He also sprained his wrist. Baring any complications, Mr. Mann should be fine," the doctor replied.

"When can we see him?" Mary asked.

"He'll be moved to a room shortly. Normally we only allow two visitors, but Mr. Mann was agitated before he went into surgery. He was looking for a Drae, Mary and Stan. I'm willing to make a brief exception so that he can see the three mentioned people. The last thing Mr. Mann needs is to be getting worked up. After that it will be two people at a time," the doctor replied.

"How long before we can bring him home to Albuquerque?" Stan asked.

"That will depend on how the healing process is going for him," the doctor replied. "Which of you are Mary, Stan and Drae?"

"I'm Stan, this is Mary and the young girl over there is Drae."

"I'll have the nurse get you when Mr. Mann is settled."

"Thank you, doctor," Maggie said, before watching the doctor leave.

"Drae, I don't think you should go. I don't want you to see Uncle Marshall like that," Gavin started.

"I'm going, Dad. I'm not a little girl anymore. Uncle Marshall won't relax unless he sees me and knows that I'm okay," Drae replied.

"Fine, then I'm going in with you," Gavin said.

"No, you're not," Mary said, firmly. "The doctor said three of us and that didn't include you. You've done enough already. The last thing Marshall needs right now is to see you. Not after what you did."

Gavin was about to reply when Seth stopped him.

"Mary's right. For now, let's just let Marshall see them. We'll get our turn later. You heard the doctor. Marshall doesn't need to be agitated. Seeing you will probably do that; especially after your last conversation."

A nurse came in thirty-five minutes later and led them to Marshall's room. They were about to go in when Drae froze at the door. Mary signaled for Stan to go in while she stood by Drae.

"I'm scared," Drae said, looking up at Mary.

"Me too but, Marshall is a fighter and one of the strongest people I know. He'll be okay. The machines that are hooked up to him are just so they can monitor him and make sure he isn't in too much pain. Marshall needs to see you to know that you're okay. He won't relax until he does. Stan and I will be right there with you," Mary replied.

"Why are you scared?" Drae asked. Mary seemed so tough that she couldn't imagine her being afraid of anything.

"It scares me to see him hurt and lying in a hospital. It's a reminder of how I could have lost my best friend," Mary replied, not ready to admit the other truth.

"It hurts you like it hurts him when you're hurt and he can't protect you," Drae said, making the connection.

"What are you talking about?" Mary asked, confused.

"A couple of times when Uncle Marshall came home, he would go wander out to the cottonwood trees to be alone. I would go out to check on him after a while. He was sad and said he failed to protect his best friend," Drae said, shrugging.

"Ready to go inside?" Mary asked, trying to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat. She wished Marshall had told her he was hurting. She may not be that great at this friendship thing, but she was willing to try. She didn't like knowing she caused him pain and hated that he felt like he failed her. She knew the guilt associated with that well. It was the same with her and their assignment with Horst.

Mary entered after Drae and forced herself not to inhale sharply. She didn't want to scare Drae anymore than she already was. Marshall looked so pale lying on the bed. Mary listened to the steady rhythmic beeps from the machines that told her he was alive as she led Drae over by his bed. Drawing up two chairs, Mary reached out and linked her hand with Marshall's.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Maggie had waited until Carina and Natalie took her two grandsons out to get some air. They'd been cooped up too long as it was. Now she wanted answers.

"Gavin, what did Mary mean by you've done enough to Marshall already?"

"Mom, I was upset and not thinking clearly…" Gavin started, but was interrupted by his mother.

"I don't want excuses. What I do want is a fully detailed description of what is going on," Maggie said, knowing by the excuse starting first that Gavin upset Marshall.

Gavin and Seth went on to explain everything and Maggie could relate to Mary's comments.

"Of all the fool hearted, stupid and not to mention idiotic things you could've said to your brother. Gavin you should be ashamed of yourself. You damn well better figure out one hell of a way to make this up to Marshall. Do you understand me?" Maggie demanded.

"Yes, Mom," Gavin said, knowing better than to argue.

"Seth Robert Mann, what were you thinking?" Maggie asked, turning on her husband.

"Honey, I freely admit I made several mistakes. I even get why you, Stan and Mary are mad. I did what I thought was best at the time. I don't like the fact that my son is lying in a hospital bed injured anymore than you do. If I could go back and change things I would gladly do so. What's done is done and I know I need to apologize to Marshall. We both need to have a long talk and so does Gavin. He's already been lectured on that," Seth replied.

Maggie wasn't happy, but she knew Seth was right. They couldn't undo the past, but they could learn from it and hopefully make amends to Marshall.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Drae had fallen asleep in her chair waiting for Marshall to wake up. Stan and Mary stayed ever vigilant for any indications that he may be waking. It had been hours and Mary was tired of his taking his sweat ass time to wake up. She knew it was that she needed to see his eyes open and hear his voice before she'd even consider relaxing.

"Mary, if you want to get some sleep for a little while; I'll keep an eye on Marshall," Stan offered.

"I'm fine. I don't need to sleep yet," Mary replied.

"You're not fine. Neither of you are ever fine when the other is hurt. I also know that a part of you feels guilty that you weren't there to protect Marshall. You're both a lot more alike than people realize. For you this is the gas station all over again. Marshall was fine then and he'll be fine this time," Stan said.

Mary was about to reply, but a moan from Marshall drew both of their attention towards the bed.

"Come on Marshall, wake up. That's it partner," Mary said as his eyes fluttered for a few seconds before finally opening up.

"Mare?" Marshall asked, confused.

"Stan and I are both here, Marshall."

Marshall was quiet for a few seconds before he began to look around the room. Mary saw the panic rising as he didn't see what he was looking for. Mary moved to the side, realizing she was blocking Marshall's view of Drae.

"Marshall, calm down. Drae is right here in the chair sleeping. She's fine; has a few bruises, a nasty bump and some lacerations. You kept her safe just like you promised. The only person who came out of this a mess is you. We're going to have discuss that," Mary said, smiling as Marshall settled down when he finally was able to see his niece.

"You're sure she's alright?" Marshall asked.

"Drae is fine, Marshall," Stan replied.

When Marshall turned his head towards Stan, Mary gently shook Drae's shoulder to wake her up. She saw the groggy eyes look at her questioningly. Mary nodded her head towards Marshall.

Drae peeked around Mary and smiled when she saw her uncle awake.

"Uncle Marshall," she said, as she moved in to hug him.

Marshall saw Mary moving in to stop her.

"Mare, she's okay," Marshall said, quickly. Drae laid her head on Marshall's shoulder and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Uncle Marshall," Drae said, with tears streaking down her face.

"This wasn't your fault and you have nothing to be sorry about. You're safe and that's all that matters. I love you, kiddo," Marshall said, as he stroked her hair trying to soothe her.

"You matter too, Uncle Marshall," Drae said, through sniffles.

"Not as much as you," Marshall replied, wiping the tears off Drae's cheeks.

"As much as all of us," Drae whispered back. "Don't argue with me either, because you know I will find a way to get the last word in. I love you."

"Has the gang invaded?" Marshall asked Drae.

"In full force, they're in the waiting room," Drae replied.

"Why don't you go back by your parents? I'm sure they're anxious to have you near them," Marshall said, trying to stifle a yawn.

Drae nodded in acknowledgment and then turned towards Mary.

"Take care of him."

"Always," Mary replied.

Stan stood up. "I'll walk Drae back. I'm sure you're parents are anxious to see you, Marshall."

Stan and Drae left and Mary turned towards her partner.

"Alone at last. How are you really? Don't tell me fine either because I know a little something about abdominal injuries," Mary said.

"I've got some good drugs going on. Not sure I feel much of anything at the moment. Thank you for helping me and Drae. I'm sorry for what I did at the office, but I didn't want to drag you and Stan into the middle of all of this," Marshall replied.

"We'll discuss your actions when you're feeling better. I'm not going to kick you when you're down. Well at least not until the drugs wear off and you'll remember what I say," Mary warned. "I've already had a discussion with your father and brother. I think I've done enough yelling for one day at the Mann men."

"That she has," Seth said, as he and Maggie entered.

"Doc, said only two at a time. I'll be back later. If he gives you a hard time let me know. I'll take care of him," Mary whispered to Marshall before leaving the room.

"Marshall," Maggie said, moving to take the seat Mary had vacated.

"I'm fine, Mom," Marshall replied.

"No, you're not fine. Don't lie to me young man. You're sitting in a hospital bed with two bullet wounds. That isn't fine," Maggie lectured.

"Maggie, I'm sure he's well aware of his injuries," Seth said, trying to prevent Maggie from lecturing Marshall. He didn't need anymore of that.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Marshall said.

"Sorry for what?" Seth asked, confused.

"I promised to keep Drae safe. She was injured under my watch," Marshall replied, figuring it was best to get the failure report card over with.

"Son, look at me," Seth ordered, and waited until Marshall complied. "You did absolutely nothing wrong and have nothing to apologize for. Mary was right in the fact that we should have gone to them for help instead of keeping it in the family. I made a call and you and Drae paid the price for it. None of what happened was your fault."

Maggie could tell Marshall wasn't sure how to proceed. He wasn't used to his father taking blame.

"I like that partner of yours. She has a lot of spunk and spit fire," Maggie said, smiling.

"Mary's protective of those she cares about," Marshall replied.

Maggie could see Marshall was struggling to stay awake.

"Get some sleep, one of us will be here when you wake up," Maggie said.

"Mary, will make sure she gets to be one of the two people in the room. Don't try and get in her way. It's not a wise choice when she's been worried," Marshall cautioned, before drifting to sleep.

"Mary's probably going to insist on coming in with Gavin. I don't think she trust him with his baby brother," Seth warned Maggie.

"Imagine that," Maggie said, irritably. She was still upset with her eldest son for taking his frustrations out on Marshall.

"They'll work through it; they always do," Seth replied.

"Things need to change between them. I fear one day they won't end up talking unless it's associated with one of our grandchildren. The kids relate better to Marshall than his own brothers. It's not right," Maggie said.

"I know and part of that is my fault. We need to work on things with Marshall. Mary was right about some of the things she said to us." Seth reluctantly admitted.


	8. Chapter 8

Mary sat across from Gavin in Marshall's hospital room. The rest of the family and Stan had gone to a hotel for the night. Stan knew Mary wouldn't leave and Maggie had put up one hell of an argument until Seth reminder her that Gavin needed to talk to his brother and Mary would play referee if need be.

"Are you going to glare at me until baby brother wakes up?" Gavin asked, annoyed.

"Depends, are you going to treat _Marshall _better?" Mary said.

"Oddly enough, I do know his name. He's been my baby brother for a hell of a lot longer than he's been your partner," Gavin replied, sarcastically.

"Yet, sadly I know him better than you do," Mary said, not wanting to admit there was a lot about her partner she didn't know. That part was her fault and needed to be worked on also. Although she knew it couldn't be done all at once or Marshall would think she had finally gone crazy. "Why is that? Lack of interest or no interest? He actually answers questions if you bother to ask him."

"How often have you asked him questions?"

"Not enough, but more than you."

"Contrary to whatever preconceived notion that you have of me or Kyler; we do care about Marshall. We may not show it, but we do care. I know that yelling at him was stupid and unfair, but I was sick with worry when I heard that they had been shot at. In all fairness though, Marshall isn't a parent and doesn't know what kind of worry comes with that."

"Keep telling yourself that and maybe you'll actually believe it. He was raising your daughter for three months. From what I gather, she and Marshall are close. Marshall trusted her to tell him the truth. I'm assuming she doesn't usually lie to him. So he tells her it's okay to stay at a friend's house in Sacramento and she runs off to L.A. which Marshall wouldn't have expected her to do. So you're telling me that you would have expected her to lie to you and take off on you."

"Alright, I screwed up. Geez, I admit it already. No, he wouldn't have expected her to lie. Marshall is the one she goes to when she feels she can't talk to her mother or me. They've had a special bond since the day she was born. Before you ask, yes I do know that is sad that my daughter and her cousins know their uncle better than Kyler or I do,"

"Now was that so hard to admit?"

"About as hard as it is for the two of you to stay quiet so the injured can sleep," Marshall replied.

"Doofus, it's about time you woke up," Mary said.

"Didn't know I was on a schedule," Marshall replied. "Gavin, how's Drae?"

"She fine, thanks to you. I owe you an apology for the other day," Gavin said.

"Water under a bridge, just forget about it. It's not a big deal," Marshall replied, ignoring the fact that he could feel Mary's eyes glaring at him.

"Yeah, it is a big deal and no I won't forget about it. My reaction was totally uncalled for and undeserved. Stop letting me off the hook so easy. I was an ass and all three of us know that," Gavin said.

"You've been that for years," Marshall replied, smirking.

"Feeling better I see or are the drugs still freely flowing through your system?" Mary asked, knowing full well how much pain he'd be in.

"Hospitals have nothing but the best," Marshall said.

"Well after this let's try not to test that theory anymore. Twice in eight years is about twice too many for you," Mary replied.

"Twice? You were in the hospital before? When?" Gavin asked.

Mary looked at Gavin in disbelief. "Please tell me he's kidding."

Marshall shook his head no.

"Sucking chest wound that he almost died from three years ago. Unreal. How is it I know every incident in my families life and your brother has no clue about yours? You're supposed to be the one with the normal family," Mary said.

"You have to help your family through their problems. I was fine. It wasn't a big deal and no need to make any fuss over," Marshall said, shrugging.

"Are things really that bad between us that you couldn't tell Kyler and me that you almost died?" Gavin asked, stunned.

"We were never that close Gavin. I wasn't the son or brother that Dad, you or Kyler wanted. You, Dad and Kyler tolerate me at best. The last time we were close was when we were little and went on family trips. After that I was the geeky brother that you tried to ignore," Marshall replied, honestly.

Mary didn't like where this conversation was heading and was about to put an end to it when they heard someone clear their throat by the door. Looking over Mary was surprised to see Seth, Kyler and Maggie.

"Mary, could you please give Marshall, Kyler, Gavin and me a few moments? We obviously need to have a talk," Seth said.

"Mary, why don't I buy you a cup of coffee? You look like you need it," Maggie offered.

"Fine, but there is to be no upsetting Marshall whatsoever. I come back and find him agitated in any way and there is going to be hell to pay. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Mary asked, looking at the three Manns.

"Mare, relax. I'll be fine," Marshall said, trying to reassure her.

"He'll be fine, Mary. You have my word," Seth replied.

"That's not very reassuring at the moment," Mary mumbled, walking out the door with Maggie.

"She's a bit overprotective, don't you think?" Kyler asked, hoping to lighten things a little. He was still trying to get over what Marshall had said about them. He was in the same boat as Gavin. Neither realized how far they had let their brother slip away from them.

"As I told Drae several months ago, she protects what she considers hers," Marshall replied with a shrug.

"You're her property?" Gavin asked, slightly amused.

"Like father, like daughter," Marshall replied, rolling his eyes.

"Can we get back to focusing on what we overheard?" Seth asked.

"We don't have to discuss this Dad. I got used to it a long time ago," Marshall said, not wanting to have this conversation.

"Obviously you're wrong in that perspective. The fact that you expect us not to like you or think that we just tolerate you is a huge problem. I have always wanted you, Marshall. Yes, you're different than Kyler and Gavin, but that isn't a bad thing. You were more sensitive than either of them and I didn't know how to react or deal with that. That is a failure on my part. I don't tolerate you, Marshall. I love you, son. I know I don't say it or show it, but I would never change the fact that you're my son. I'm very proud of the man that you've grown up to be," Seth said.

"Dad…" Marshall started, but was cut off.

"I've failed you as a father in many ways. I learned more about you in Operation Falcon than I ever thought I could. What I saw as a weakness, I now see as strength. You use that strength to help others in a way I never thought you could. I'm very proud to be able to call you my son, and I need you to know that," Seth said.

Marshall didn't know how to respond to what his dad said. This wasn't the normal poultry binding conversation they had and he didn't know how to react.

"Marshall, you don't have to say anything just know that it's the truth. That is all I want for you to get out of this conversation. I'll leave you and your brothers alone for a bit. Make sure Mary and your Mom aren't up to no good and so we don't get busted with too many people in the room. I'll be back with your Mom. With any luck I can get your partner to get some shut eye. Otherwise, I'll let you handle her," Seth said, before leaving the room.

Gavin and Kyler waited for a few seconds after their Dad left trying to figure out where to begin.

"You don't have to say anything. It's alright that you don't want to hang around with me. I meant what I said before, I'm used to where I fit or don't fit into your lives. We're different people with different likes. Sometimes that's all there is to it," Marshall said.

"Marshall, it's not okay. We were close when we were younger and after that we left you behind like something to be discarded. That isn't okay. We're family. You're our brother and we've taken you for granted for years. You never even told us about being shot before. How the hell is that okay with you. I'm ashamed of myself," Gavin replied.

"I have to second Gavin's opinion on the ashamed part. I know that we can't make up for the last twenty some years of our lives for being idiots, but I would like a chance for us to get to know you again; to be your brothers again. This time I'd like to be the kind of brother I should've been before," Kyler said.

Marshall knew this was the olive branch and he could shun it away as they had him over the years or accept it and hope for the best. Worse came to worse they'd end up back where they were before and at least he would know that he tried.

"I'm willing to give it a try; if you are," Marshall replied.

Kyler and Gavin both noted the worried look on their brother's face and couldn't blame him.

"I promise, things will be different this time," Gavin said, hoping to reassure Marshall.

Mary came in a few seconds later.

"Good you're still in one piece. Now I've explained to your father; who had some crazy notion that he could try and send me to a hotel to get some sleep; that I wasn't leaving anytime soon. Your Mom and I are staying and you two are going back to the hotel and taking Seth with you," Mary said, firmly.

"Mare, when's the last time you had a decent night's sleep?" Marshall asked.

"Oh, don't even think that you're sending me home. You didn't abandon me at the hospital and you're stuck with me so just close those eyes and get some more sleep. The sooner you heal up the sooner we can get you home where you belong," Mary replied.

"Good night and good luck, little brother," Kyler and Gavin, said amused.

Mary waited until they left the room.

"Are you okay?"

Marshall smiled at the concern. "I'm okay. They didn't do any damage, so you can't hurt them."

"Sure, ruin my fun. Seriously, though are you okay, because I'm thinking the pain meds are starting to wear off, since you look like you're in pain," Mary said.

"I'll make you a deal. You can get a nurse to get me more meds; if you go to the hotel and get a good night's sleep. You have bags under your eyes, Mare. I won't be alone. You know Mom and Dad will stay," Marshall replied.

"You'll take the pain meds and let them know if you need more? If you promise me that; then I'll promise you I go to the hotel and get a couple hours of rest. I'm coming back after that. No arguments," Mary said.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Marshall replied.

"I'll get the nurse," Mary said, getting up she ran into Seth and Maggie. Telling them of the changed plans and warning them she'd be gone only briefly.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall had been in the hospital for five weeks now. Maggie had stayed with him the entire time while Mary was flying back and forth when she could. Stan had let her take two weeks of vacation so that she could be with Marshall as he was getting ready to be flown back to Albuquerque and so she could get the instructions on what they needed to know for when he was home. The second week was so Mary could make sure Marshall was settled and take him to appointments before he was allowed back on desk duty. He already had done the psych evaluation and was cleared for it.

Maggie continued to watch Mary and Marshall interact with one another. She could tell why her son had fallen for the blonde. Underneath the tough exterior lay a woman with a gentle soul that just needed to be shown that love can endure and that it wouldn't walk away. It was time for her to overstep her boundaries.

"Marshall, can you excuse Mary and me while we go grab something to eat?" Maggie asked.

"Sure, Mare, bring me some pie back if you find any," Marshall said.

"Any kind in particular your highness?" Mary asked, sarcastically.

"Surprise me," Marshall replied.

"I swear pie is like his version of crack," Mary said, shaking her head. She had to admit that she hadn't been much of a pie eater until meeting Marshall though.

Mary and Maggie were sitting at the table eating, while Maggie tried to figure out the best way to broach the subject.

"You're very protective and good for Marshall," Maggie said, figuring to start of slow before blindsiding Mary.

"He's my partner and best friend. I couldn't have asked for a better one," Mary replied, shrugging.

"I don't like seeing my son hurt," Maggie said.

"I don't like anyone hurting him either," Mary replied.

"You hurt him more than you realize, just not on purpose. If I thought it was I wouldn't be about to start a discussion that is probably inappropriate on my part, and something you really aren't ready or willing to hear. I'm only going to be here a few more days and I need to say this. It's not meant to hurt you, but I think someone needs to open your eyes to a few facts that you refuse to see for yourself," Maggie said, knowing she was pushing a subject that Marshall wouldn't want pushed, but it was time for Mary to figure out what she wanted from her son.

Marshall wanted to be married and have a family. Her son would give up children if it meant marrying his partner. It was the one thing he would compromise on, but if Mary felt the way she believed then they would both be compromising and she'd get at least one grandchild from Marshall.

"What are you talking about?" Mary asked, feeling the need to flee suddenly.

"My son is in love with you, but too scared to tell you for fear that you will run away from him. I think you have similar feelings, but haven't realized it or admitted it to yourself yet. He's not getting any younger and wants to be married. The longer he holds on to hope for you the less likely that will happen; if you don't feel the same. I don't want Marshall to spend his life alone. He's a fine man and deserves happiness. I believe you can give that to him if you open yourself up to the possibility. If you can't then, please just tell him you don't feel the same and set him free. Marshall can't stay in this limbo that he's been in for the past several years," Maggie replied, deciding not to tell Mary how long her son's been in love with her.

"Marshall and I are best friends, he would never think of me that way," Mary said, way too quickly.

Maggie saw the flash of panic in Mary's eyes as she replied.

"Then why are you panicked about what I just said?" Maggie knew she was pushing harder then she should, but her son needed someone to love in his life and if Mary wasn't that person; she was going to do her best to get her to tell Marshall that. She liked Mary but couldn't stand the thought of Marshall hoping for something that wasn't there. If she were a betting woman Maggie would say Mary had similar feelings, but refused to acknowledge them. She saw how she interacted with her son and now was the time to make her aware of it.

"I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable; Mary and I know this isn't really a fair conversation for me to start since we've just met. I know Marshall, and I know what he wants. He'd still be there if you want nothing more than friendship from him, but he needs to know if he should look elsewhere. You're the only one that can't tell him if you can or can't love him in return. I'm not saying you have to figure it out today or tomorrow; but you do need to figure it out before Marshall passes up on a chance for happiness with someone that can give him what he deserves."

Mary was taken aback by the whole conversation and rendered speechless. She didn't know how to respond to Maggie. A part of her wanted to tell her that her feelings were none of Maggie's business and to butt out of her life; but the only thing she saw in Maggie's face was love and concern for Marshall.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Mary replied; honestly.

"Nothing, for now. I'm not the one you need to talk to. Give it some time; think about what I said. Think about what Marshall means to you and why. Then you talk to him. I've taken a lot of unfair liberties in having this conversation with you in the first place and I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry for what I've said. I just can't watch Marshall continue to wonder and rarely date while he holds out hope for you. It's not fair to either of you. Marshall will always be your friend, but only you know what you want. Tell him when you figure it out. Be gentle with him if you don't feel the same. This is all I ask of you," Maggie said.

"I'm going to go grab Marshall his slice of pie. We should be getting back," Mary said, quickly standing and heading for the dessert section. She wanted to be back by Marshall, he didn't bring up topics she didn't want to hear.

Maggie sighed and hoped she hadn't made a mess of things for Marshall. She knew full well she'd hear about it. Her son read his partner like a book. He would know something upset her during their lunch. She'd let Marshall vent at her, but still wouldn't regret her choice. If it gave him what his heart desired most then somewhere down the road he would thank her.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall watched as the two most important women in his life walked into his room. He was about to ask Mary about the pie when he noticed the look on her face. He groaned inwardly knowing full well his mother had done something. Not wanting to force Mary to discuss it in front of his mother he turned his attention back to the pie.

"What kind?" Marshall asked as eagerly as he could muster with the nagging feeling in his gut.

"Apple, it's a hospital and not a bakery. You're lucky they had some," Mary replied.

"I've got to get to the hotel and check in on a couple of things. I'll be back later."

Marshall nodded knowing full well it was a hasty retreat. Once Mary left the room he glared at his mother. Something he thought he never do.

"What did you do to her?" Marshall asked.

"We just had a little chat about a few things," Maggie said.

"Mom, Mary fled the room albeit trying to be discreet, but I know her better than that. So why don't you tell me exactly what the two of you discussed," Marshall replied, irritably. He had a pretty good idea what his Mom had done.

"Alright, but you have to understand that what I did; well it's because I love you," Maggie replied, before explaining what happened in the cafeteria.

Marshall was angrier than he had ever been with his mother. He couldn't believe she betrayed his trust like that.

"I'm tired. Why don't you go back to the hotel for awhile?" Marshall said.

Maggie knew a dismissal when she received one. It just hurt coming from her youngest; even though she was expecting it.

"I'll be back tomorrow," Maggie said, knowing Marshall needed the extra time.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary had driven around the area before going back to the hotel. Shutting the door she began to pace the room as she played Maggie's words over and over in her head. She needed someone else's opinion on the matter, but who? Brandi and Jinx were useless, Delia would spread that kind of information around the office within five seconds of getting off the phone and Abby was out of the question. Abby blamed Mary for ruining their relationship. A thought occurred quickly and then she tried to banish it. It was the last person that she would think about reaching out to and yet somehow it seemed appropriate. After making a few calls, she got the number she needed and waited while the phone rang.

"Eleanor Prince."

Mary hesitated a second before quickly spewing out her question.

"Do you think Marshall is or was ever in love with me?"

"Mary?" Eleanor asked, surprised.

"No, June Cleaver. Who do you think?" Mary replied, frustrated.

"Pardon my confusion. You're calling me for help. Are you sick?" Eleanor asked.

"No, I need someone that notices things and isn't related or going to spill to the world. Oddly enough, you're good at keeping secrets," Mary said.

"Do you really want the answer to this question or are you fishing for something?" Eleanor asked.

"I need the answer," Mary replied.

"Alright, Marshall has been in love with you for quite a while. Just like you have strong feelings for him that you keep trying to bury or to burn a bridge with Marshall so that he won't come seeking you. I didn't ask for any reason at all if Marshall proposed to you. It seemed inevitable that eventually the two of you would get together provided you didn't blow it. From the rumors I've heard, you've come close to doing so. Look, I get that you've had a rough life, but Mary there's a reason you trust Marshall implicitly and that he's the only person that you'll actually listen to. Your fear is keeping you from the best thing that has ever come into your life. I don't know what brought this revelation on, but don't blow your chance at true happiness. You may never get a chance at it again. Life is too short to let time slip through your fingers. I may have lost my John, but I never regretted one second that we were together. I would've hated myself if I had never given him a chance and he had died without us ever being together. Relationships are hard work at times, but they are also rewarding the rest of the time. Don't hurt Marshall, Mary. If you can't have a relationship with him; then set him free. I highly recommend you take a leap of faith and you'll be surprised where life leads you," Eleanor said.

"Thanks, Eleanor," Mary said, before hanging up. Had she really gotten desperate enough to call Eleanor? She couldn't help but think that she was losing it.

She lay down on the bed and began to run every relationship she ever had through her mind. She then began to think about her partner. Even when they first met she was more comfortable around him than she had ever been with anyone else. Not that it meant she loved him. Her mind took her to Holtz and the gas station. The fear and anguish she felt when she thought Marshall would die on her. She then remembered how it felt to watch him date Abby. She thought that she was going to lose Marshall to her. Finally, her mind flashed to when she saw the car roll over and how scared she'd been for Marshall. So she definitely cared for him a lot. She was definitely going to have to give this more thought, but she needed to get back to the hospital. Marshall probably already knew something was off.

Heading out to go to the car Mary ran into Maggie coming into the hotel.

"You left Marshall, alone?" Mary said, surprised to see Maggie.

"He's not particularly happy to see me at the moment. I told him what I said to you. Now he's mad at me and more than likely scared you won't want to talk to him again," Maggie replied, honestly.

"I'm on my way back to the hospital. You want to come?" Mary asked, unsure of why she was being so nice after their conversation.

"No, I told Marshall that I wouldn't be back until tomorrow. He's going to think and overanalyze all of this. Plus he's mad at me for the first time in his life. I don't think he knows how to react to that and honestly neither do I. Just be patient and gentle with him," Maggie said, heading into the hotel.

Maggie watched Mary through the hotel doors as she headed for the car before turning to go to her room. She needed to talk to Seth. She knew he would lecture her about breaking Marshall's confidence, but he would also reassure her that Marshall wouldn't be mad for long. It was this side of her husband no one saw and she wished they could. Maybe that's why she liked the idea of Mary and Marshall. In a lot of ways they were the younger version of her and Seth; just that Marshall was the soft one and Mary the tougher appearing one.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary pulled into the hospital parking lot and stared at the doors. She had never been scared of Marshall, but this time she was scared. He would never hurt her of that she knew, but there was a lot more to talk about than just his feelings. They hadn't begun to discuss the problems they had been having before this all started. If she wanted to get technical those were based on feelings they both had. The minute she walked into that hospital room things would change and she knew it. She hated change, but could they keep going the way they were without destroying each other in the process. Mary already knew the answer. Taking a deep breath she closed the door and headed in.

As she rounded the corner to enter Marshall's room she could hear voices inside. Sticking her head in she saw Drae sitting next to Marshall. Mary was about to leave them alone when Drae noticed her.

"Hi Mary," Drae greeted.

"When did you get into town?" Mary asked, curious.

"Dad and I flew in last night, we wanted to surprise Uncle Marshall before he left to go home," Drae replied.

"Why don't I come back later and let the two of you talk?" Mary said, making to leave.

"No, come join us. We're just talking about old times. I bet you'd love to hear some good stories about Uncle Marshall," Drae replied, smirking.

"Come on in Mare. Drae doesn't bite; I promise. Gavin should be back in a few minutes anyways," Marshall said, slightly relieved his niece and brother had shown up.

Gavin had joined the three a few minutes later and they had regaled Mary with various stories of their childhood, their parents, family traditions and future plans for Drae. He could sense there was something that needed to be discussed amongst the partners after awhile and finally looked at Drae.

"Why don't we give Mary and Marshall a break and go to the hotel to see Grandma," Gavin suggested to Drae.

"Okay. Bye Mary. Bye Uncle Marshall," Drae said, making sure to kiss Marshall on the cheek and give him a hug. "Love you," she whispered into his ear.

"Love you too, kiddo," Marshall replied affectionately, as both him and Mary watched them leave the room.

The room fell into a brief and uneasy silence that Marshall felt the need to break.

"Mare, look I know Mom said …" Marshall was cut off when Mary put her hand over his mouth.

"We both know what your mother said, but Marshall it isn't the only thing we need to deal with. I think we should work up to that point, but we've been having issues for a long time now. My vacation seemed to start it and the return seemed to fuel another aspect into play," Mary replied, not knowing how exactly to say Abby was an interference and another wedge in their partnership and friendship. Granted she hadn't given Marshall a reason to not look elsewhere. Mary couldn't stand Abby and she didn't like her being with Marshall. It made her feel things she didn't like.

"What do you want me to say? You went to Mexico with Faber and did God only knows what with that slimeball and then you come back and sleep with your ex knowing it wouldn't work. If that isn't enough I find out afterwards that you knew it was a mistake, but of course you still did it anyways. All the warning signs were laid out in front of you before you went to dinner with him that night. The fake blackberry and pamphlets about a job he doesn't have didn't give you any reason to stop yourself from making yet another huge mistake. You're a U.S. Marshal who damn well knows a con when she sees one. You chose to ignore it and paid the price for that. Why don't we touch on the pregnancy, you knew the rules and hell Stan even gave you some leeway; you should've been on desk duty way before you were. You had a blatant disregard for the safety of our witnesses and the rest of us marshals; because you had to prove you could do it all no matter how far along you were in the pregnancy. Well you can't; no one can. I'm not going to be like everyone else and ignore the facts. It was bullshit and you know that," Marshall replied.

Mary couldn't help but think of Marshall's talk before she left for Mexico. _Someone that called you on your bullshit._ The phrase swam in her mind. The truth of the matter was that she let her own ego get in her way and Marshall damn near paid the price for it in the courthouse. She shouldn't have gone that day and she knew it.

"For someone who supposedly loved me; you went running to Abby and had your way with her," Mary said, defensively. Figuring she didn't like the analyzing of her so she wanted to switch it to Marshall.

"You made your choice clear when you took off to Mexico with Faber. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life alone pining for you. I fully intend to find someone that can love me the same way that I love them. I get that to you, I'll always be your geeky sidekick that worries about you. I can't help it Mare, you're choice in men with the exception of Raph has been piss poor. Although if you were to be honest you should've ended it with Raph long before the proposal, but he was a convenient boy toy for you. It wasn't fair to him. I care about you enough to not want to see you on a path that will lead you down the road your mother took, but a huge part of me fears that's where you'll be going if you don't start letting go of the past. I don't want to hurt you Mare, but it's way past time for you to deal with things or you'll never be able to find happiness," Marshall replied.

Mary realized that Marshall was giving up on any hope of them being together. In his own way he was setting her free while trying to help her achieve something she only could with him. Everything she thought of last night had all come back to Marshall. It was the only time she was comfortable, happy and felt the sense of security that she'd lost when her father left. The difference being Marshall wouldn't willingly leave her. The thought of Marshall going home to some other woman who would bear the next generation of Mann's made her nauseous. Marshall was her home. He was the only home she wanted and she wasn't willing to share it with another woman. She didn't like sharing him with Abby and knew it would be the same with any other woman. Her place was by his side. Now, how to tell him without it all coming out wrong.

"I went to Mexico with Faber because I knew it wouldn't last. It was a safe way to fill a need. I didn't want to believe that you could love me. I was afraid that I would destroy the best thing in my life."

Mary watched Marshall's face as she said this. She needed to gauge his reactions to what she was saying to make sure she wasn't making things worse.

When I came home and you were with Abby I was jealous and lonely. I knew Mark would work for a one night stand. It was one night of not being alone. Had I realized the consequences of that night I wouldn't have done it."

Marshall nodded in understanding and Mary continued.

"Hindsight is my norm," Mary admitted reluctantly.

"You seemed to be so happy with Abby and I hated it and her. She was by your side taking over my spot. I stayed out in the field longer than I should have because I felt I had to prove that I belonged next to you. It was stupid and childish. It almost cost me the most important person in my life."

Mary watched as Marshall remained silent. It was his way of indicating for her to continue with what she was saying.

"Then you and Abby broke up, yet you still kept your distance and it made me angry. I know that I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but the one thing that was never a mistake was staying here in Albuquerque. I think I do love you, but I know that I need to work out my issues. If I don't then I could end up destroying us or any chance of there being an us."

Mary paused for a minute before finishing.

"The only thing I do know is I don't want to share you with another woman; I can't do that. How you managed to put up with it for so long or why you did; I'll never know."

"We can take it slow and I can wait for a little while, but Mare there can't be any more one night stands. It's all or nothing. I won't settle for less," Marshall warned.

"I don't want you to settle for less. I wouldn't see someone behind your back like that. I want this to work more than you probably realize," Mary said, leaning in and gently kissing him on the lips. Pulling back when she felt them both deepening the kiss. "Slow and steady cowboy."

"As long as we're agreed," Marshall replied.

"We're agreed," Mary confirmed.


	9. Chapter 9

Epilogue Ten Years Later:

Marshall stood watching the door waiting for the bride to appear. The wedding march started and he wrapped his arms around Mary as he watched Gavin lead Drae down the aisle. Mary leaned into his arms and he couldn't help but think about how much things had changed in the last ten years.

Mary had gone to therapy and willingly talked to Shelly Finkle about her Dad leaving, bad relationships, personal insecurities and him. It had taken awhile but Mary had made progress. They started dating officially a year after Mary started therapy and a year later they had gotten married. Two years after that Mary had been injured in a witness transfer and was unable to stay in an active marshal role. It was desk duty or nothing. Mary had of course tried to beat the odds but the injury remained. His wife had decided to retire. She couldn't stand the idea of being stuck behind a desk.

A month after her retirement Mary asked Marshall to take a vacation with her. They had flown to Boston where Mary had him take her to a park. They sat on a bench for a couple of hours talking when a little blonde girl came walking into the playground area. Marshall knew why they were there. His mind completely drifted to that moment.

"_Mare?" Marshall asked, knowing it was the little girl she had given up for adoption. _

_Mary watched the girl run into her Dad's arms and get swung around before being placed back on the ground only to run into her Mother's arms. The little girl was smiling and laughing. _

"_I needed to know that I made the right choice," Mary whispered, softly. _

"_She looks happy," Marshall said, placing a comforting arm around her. _

"_She is. I did the right thing. Marshall, I've been thinking and talking to Shelly lately about something. I wanted to make sure what I was thinking was for the right reasons," Mary replied, watching Marshall's reaction. _

"_Don't keep me in suspense," Marshall teased, hoping to make Mary feel better._

"_I want us to have a family. I think I'm finally ready to be a Mom. I want to bring another Marshall into this world. This world needs more of you in it," Mary replied. _

"_Mary, I would love to start a family with you, but I need to know it's not because you feel obligated to do so. I love you no matter what," Marshall said, knowing Mary had talked to his Mom before the trip. _

_Mary couldn't help but smile. "Relax Doofus; it has nothing to do with your Mom. For me it was always about giving up the job. I wasn't sure I could do that for a child. In some ways the injury was a blessing in disguise. I can be a Mom and not feel like I'm leaving a part of myself behind. I really want to do this."_

"_Well in that case, there is this motel that has a bed that I'm positive that you would look really good lying naked in," Marshall replied. _

The stopping of the wedding march brought Marshall back to the present. He looked around Mary to see their three children. Their first child had been conceived in Boston. Ryan Seth Mann was the spitting image of himself. The second child stole his heart the minute her green eyes opened and her little hand wrapped around his finger. Megan Rose was his little version of Mary. The third and unplanned surprise was their other son, Daniel James Mann. He was the perfect combination of both of them. They had been blessed in life.

Mary looked up and had watched Marshall and knew he was lost in thought. She loved to watch him that way. She didn't know when it started, but for some reason that distant look and silly smirk always seemed to warm her heart.

"Where'd you go?" Mary whispered, softly into his ear.

"A decade's journey of joy and happiness; that I hope Dracen and Patrick have the fortune of sharing together," Marshall replied, softly.

Mary smiled. "I'm glad on got on board. I love you, Marshall Phillip Mann."

"I love you, Mary Elizabeth Shannon Mann,"


End file.
